Name: Chicken Thighs Confit
Ingredients: 6 to 8 skin on, bone-in chicken thighs; 2 tablespoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 3 sprigs thyme, more to taste; 2 bay leaves; 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed; 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced; 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil (or enough to cover chicken); 2 cups canola oil (or enough to cover chicken)

Description

A French cooking technique where you cook the chicken at a low temperature for a long period of time. Great to cook once and eat all week.

Ingredients

6 to 8 skin on, bone-in chicken thighs
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs thyme, more to taste
2 bay leaves
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
¹/₂ yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil (or enough to cover chicken)
2 cups canola oil (or enough to cover chicken)

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Instructions

A DAY BEFORE COOKING: If chicken is wet, pat it dry so spices adhere easily. Season thighs 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.
Place in 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.
ON THE DAY OF COOKING: Preheat oven to 225°F for the slow roast process.
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.
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.
Add all the aromatics you used when brining (the herbs, garlic, thyme springs). 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 until the chicken is completely submerged. It has to be totally covered with the 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.
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 oil and reserve to fry the chicken in it, or other foods like potatoes. Don’t let it go to waste.
When you want to use the chicken, just remove the desired amount and pan fry in the reserved oil, starting skin side down over medium heat. Let the skin get really golden before flipping, so it doesn’t stick. 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 to shred and use in salads, on a pizza, tacos or pasta.