How to Make Chicken Confit in Olive Oil

When you think of confit, does something fancy and expensive come to mind? Confit is a cooking method from France that is all about slow cooking food in fat and salt until it becomes this delicious, indulgent dish.

You can usually find confit served in French bistros like our favorite in New York City, Balthazar where they have a classic Duck Confit using duck legs on the menu for brunch. Confit was used first as a means of preserving foods in its own fat. 

Now, it means that you can save your confit until the next morning or for about a week in the fridge. But I’m telling you…you won’t have too many leftovers after you get a taste of this simple recipe, but in case you do, it’ll stay enjoyable for a while.

So let’s talk about this absolutely delicious, fall-off-the-bone, extremely juicy Chicken Thighs Confit that you need to try out! The best part? You probably already have all the ingredients as they are common pantry staples.

Chicken Thighs Confit Recipe

Confit is from the French word confire. Which means to preserve. 

Other than the time, it’s really easy to prepare. Thankfully, you can throw everything together in a single layer inside a large dutch oven, a roasting pan, an oven-safe dish or a rimmed baking sheet. 6 to 8 hours on low temperature will do the trick. Cover it up with aluminum foil and leave it and you’re good to go.

The hours may seem like a long time but but the wait is SO worth it! You’ll have an incredible meal that will last about a week and reheats easily while retaining the flavor.

The recipe might sound intimidating, but the confit process is actually super easy! With a short ingredient list and little prep work, this is something you can throw it together with very little effort and final product is well worth it.

For the chicken thighs, don’t use the boneless, skinless variety. This confit is best made with bone-in chicken pieces with the skin on, that way it’ll get that “falling off the bone” quality!

I did not use white onions in this recipe, but to give it flavor, I added: 1 TB black peppercorns, 6 garlic cloves, and 2 bay leaves during the cooking process. I also used garlic in the marinade to give it an extra boost!

Feel free to add extra spices, like star anise, coriander seeds, ginger, and fresh rosemary. You can customize this recipe to your taste.

Feel free to add extra spices, like star anise, coriander seeds, ginger, and fresh rosemary. You can customize this recipe to your taste.

Save the chicken confit fat

You can totally reuse this oil for another time! 

The spices and flavors just infuse the oil, so you can use it again to make another confit or to fry something up the next day to add more flavor. Anything that uses this oil will benefit from this Chicken Thighs Confit!

When you’re warming up the chicken confit the next day, use the same oil they’re preserving in to heat the chicken thighs or legs and make sure to have them skin side down to achieve that crisp-skinned succulence.

What To Serve It With

It can be a struggle to find something perfect to pair with such a delicious dish. But this Chicken Thighs Confit is going to be the star of any meal, no matter what you include.

When I made this for my family, I paired it with a Moroccan Vegetable Couscous. It’s a simple traditional recipe. It was a simple, light side that went perfectly with the richness of the confit. 

You can also do something as plain as white rice! One of the benefits to the whole process of making Chicken Thighs Confit is that you can make a big batch of it, heat it up in the oven or in a pan with a minimal amount of oil, and serve it with some white rice. It will still have every bit of flavor and make a delicious meal the next time you decide to have it again.

Some other ideas for what to serve these chicken thighs confit with are:

• Roasted potatoes or vegetables
• Mixed greens salad
• Kale with fresh lemon juice
• or Quinoa

How To Make Chicken Thighs Confit

If you’ve got a busy schedule, this Chicken Thighs Confit is going to be your lifesaver. You have moist, tender chicken that falls off the bone, oozing with flavor ready to eat anytime. Make it once, then eat all week. This is a 2-day process so if you’re meal planning for the week, you can start the prep on a Saturday so you can start with a lovely Sunday night dinner.

• ONE DAY BEFORE COOKING: Grab with chicken thighs and if they’re wet, pat it dry so spices adhere easily. You’ll season evenly on both sides with the kosher salt and pepper. Place chicken thighs into large dish, bowl or a gallon-sized ziplock bag, add the smashed garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves then transfer to your fridge. If you’re using a bag, rest the bag on a small plate) for at least 12 hours or, even better, overnight. If possible, at some point mix the chicken up slightly to move the garlic and herbs around. The advantage of using a ziplock bag is just taking the bag and massaging the chicken around. With a dish, you’ll get another utensil dirty…so that’s one thing you don’t have to deal with when you use a gallon zipper bag

• ON THE DAY YOU’LL COOK (AND EAT): The oven temperature must be at 225°F for the slow roast, confit method.

• Remove the chicken from the bag and place in a colander, reserving the spices used. Be careful not to toss them out. Rinse to get some of the salt off and pat dry very well using paper towels. Now place the thighs into a roasting pan large enough to hold all the chicken, but not so big you can’t cover it with oil. Confit is a process of cooking in oil so this is important to have the right size to get the thighs (or chicken leg quarters chicken drumsticks) submerged.

• Add all the aromatics you used when brining (the herbs, garlic, sprigs of thyme). If you’re using rosemary, add it now, and scatter the sliced onion over. Add a 50/50 mixture of olive oil and canola oil (or vegetable oil) until the chicken is completely submerged. It has to be totally covered with enough oil, or it won’t cook evenly.

• Cover and roast in the oven for 6 to 8 hours. You can check the chicken at the 6 hour mark, it should be really tender…then you know your confit is coming together and will give you fantastic results later.

• Let the chicken and pan come to room temperature. You can pull out some thighs right away if you want to use them immediately, or cover and place in the fridge. Make sure they are always submerged in the oil and covered tightly. The chicken will keep for 5 or 6 days.

• Strain the leftover oil and reserve to fry the chicken in it, or other foods like potatoes. Don’t let it go to waste.

• The final step! When you want to eat the chicken leg confit or thighs, just remove the desired amount and pan fry in the reserved oil, chicken skin-side down over medium heat. Let the skin get really golden before flipping, so it doesn’t stick. This confit chicken legs or thighs is soooo good when it has that crispy skin and tender meat. You can also toss them in a toaster oven at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes. It’s cleaner this way if you don’t want to clean up oil splatter.

• You can use the rest of the chicken confit when you get tired of having it as a full meal with couscous, quinoa, rice or potatoes. The shredded chicken confit will be great to use in salads, on a pizza, tacos or pasta.

What is the difference between confit and sous vide?

Sous vide involves cooking chicken thighs in a precisely controlled water bath, sealed in a vacuum-sealed bag or gallon size ziplock bag, resulting in uniformly cooked, juicy meat. On the other hand, confit entails slow-cooking (not using a slow cooker) chicken thighs submerged in duck fat seasoned with herbs and spices, infusing the meat with rich flavor and a luxurious texture.

While sous vide prioritizes precision and consistency, confit offers a traditional method known for its indulgent taste and tender results, making each technique a unique culinary experience for chicken or duck lovers.

Let’s connect!

Are we friends on social media yet? Come follow along for more kitchen tips and inspiration to fuel your never-ending culinary curiosity! You can find me on Instagram @Chef.Rafael.Gonzalez and on Facebook, Chef Rafael Gonzalez. 

If you tried this recipe and feel free to tag me so I can see your culinary creation! 

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