Confit Chicken legs
In this classic confit, the chicken is salted and seasoned with herbs, then slowly cooked in fat or oil to make it rich and tender. It is a dish best planned 2 -3 days ahead
Ingredients
- 4 thyme sprigs leaves picked
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- 3 dried juniper berries
- 2 bay leaves crushed
- 5 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 4 chicken legs
- 500 ml lard olive oil or duck fat
Sauce Vierge
- 2 ripe tomatoes halved, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh chervil chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves chopped
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 2 shallots finely chopped
To serve
- 800 g baby potatoes
- 200 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 onions sliced
- 80 g young spinach leaves
Instructions
- Using a mortar and pestle, crush 4 tsp sea salt with the thyme, peppercorns, juniper berries, and bay leaves. Add the chopped garlic, and rub the mixture on the chicken legs. Cover and chill for 30 minutes or ideally overnight to infuse and cure.
- The next day, preheat oven to 140ËšC.
- Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towel.
- , line the base of an ovenproof dish with a piece of parchement paper for ease later, and lay the chicken legs without staking them on each others in the dish. The parchement paper will help to ensure the legs do not stick to the base.
- Pour over the fat ( melted if using lard, or at room temperature if using olive oil. The fat need to cover the chicken legs to allow gentle cooking all the way through. Add half of head of garlic and some rosemary sprigs.
- Cover the dish with a layer of parchement paper and tin foil tightly sealed.
- Transfer straight in the oven and leave to confit for 90-120 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink by the bones. An other way to check is the see if the meat start to fall of the bones. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the fat without overly moving the legs in the dish so the meat can settle. (The chicken will keep in the fridge covered in oil for 1 week.)
- On the day to serve the chicken, preheat oven to 200-220ËšC.
- Make the vierge sauce. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, then season and set aside for about 20 minutes for the flavours to develop.
- Gently lift the chicken legs from the fat and remove the excess.
- Place on an oven rack set over a roasting to catch any drips of fat. Season well with salt and place in the oven. Roast the legs for 15 – 20 minutes depending on the oven temperature and size of the chicken legs or until the chicken is warm in the centre and with a crisp and golden skin.
- Meanwhile, In a pan, drizzle some of the cooking fat and add the potatoes, onions and sauté for 5 minutes until coloured. add the cherry tomatoes and sauté for a further minute or so. Lastly, add the spinach just before serving.
- Serve the potatoes in serving dishes, with the crispy confit chicken leg and some vierge sauce for a kick of freshness. Enjoy while hot.