Editor's Choice
Chicken thighs make tasty confit

By Joan Namkoong
Advertiser Food Critic

Here's another idea for a confit: a confit of chicken. Slowly cooked in oil, chicken thighs are ever so moist but without the greasiness you might expect. I've tried the classic duck recipe before; I was curious to see whether it would work with chicken, which is so much easier to get and less expensive.

You can make a batch of chicken confit and refrigerate it for a week. When you're ready to eat it, remove pieces from oil, scrape off the fat and brown the pieces in a skillet until crisp and golden. Eat the chicken as is or remove the bone, shred the meat and serve it atop a green salad. It's especially nice if the salad contains greens that are a bit peppery and crisp-textured, such as watercress, arugula or frisee. With some crusty bread, this is a perfect summer meal.

This recipe is adapted from a recent New York Times recipe by Geoffrey Zakarian, the chef/owner of Town, a restaurant in New York. Plan ahead to make this recipe as it does require marinating time and refrigeration time.

Another tip: Unless you want to spend a fortune on extra virgin olive oil, use the supermarket variety and mix it with canola, corn or another flavorless vegetable oil. Use about 2 parts olive oil to 1 part other oil to soften the flavor of the olive oil.

Confit of chicken

• 6 chicken thighs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Several sprigs of fresh thyme
• 3-4 cups extra virgin olive oil

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place in a shallow dish.

Sprinkle with shallots, garlic and thyme; cover and refrigerate overnight or for 24 hours.

Place chicken and seasonings in a saucepan in one layer. Cover completely with oil. Turn on the heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 1 3/4 hours, skimming the surface. Cool, then refrigerate overnight or up to one week.

To serve: Remove chicken from refrigerator and lift pieces from the oil, scraping off excess fat. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and place chicken, skin side down, in hot pan. Cook 2-3 minutes or until brown; turn and cook other side.

Serve as is or remove bone, shred meat and serve atop a bed of greens with vinaigrette. Serves 6.