Confit Chicken

So so good. Confit meat is not something that you should eat very often (I haven't cooked this for 2 years) as it is meat poached in oil or fat but, it is something that should be eaten. The secondary joy of this (the gift that keeps giving) is the left over fat/oil. This now flavoured gear is wicked for frying meats and roasting vegetables. When I first cooked this I couldn't find a recipe for confit chicken but couldn't think of a reason why it wouldn't work and it does. Usually I cook this with a combination of duck or goose fat and olive oil (this time I had enough fat alone) but don't see why olive oil wouldn't work on its own. Finally, this will keep in the fridge (covered in the fat) for a couple of weeks as long as nothing is exposed - just scrape off the fat, heat gently in the oven then grill.

1 chicken quartered
Thyme sprigs
Sage leaves
Porcini salt
Pepper
5 or 6 whole garlic cloves
300 gms duck fat
Olive oil (possibly)
Duck fat and sage roasted potatoes

Sauteed mushrooms with ricotta

Steamed beans and asparagus

Balsamic glaze for serving

Chopped parsley

Wipe the chicken down with paper toweling. Place the chicken pieces into a dish just large enough to fit them. Sprinkle over some porcini salt, freshly ground pepper, thyme sprigs, sage leaves and garlic cloves. Spoon the fat over the top and place the dish into a preheated 150C oven. After 5 minutes check to see if the melted fat was enough to cover the chicken, if not, top up with some olive oil. Roast for another 45 mins.

Remove from the oven, remove the chicken pieces from the fat and place under the grill on high heat, on the lowest shelf. Grill until crispy. Serve with the duck fat spuds, steamed greens and mushrooms with parsley and, drizzle with the chicken with some balsamic glaze. I used the garlic from the confit process when sauteing the mushrooms.