Chicken Confit With Pickled Tomatoes Recipes

CHICKEN CONFIT

Steps:

• Lay the leg portions on a platter, skin side down. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and black pepper. Place the garlic cloves, bay leaves, and sprigs of thyme on each of 2 leg portions. Lay the remaining 2 leg portions, flesh to flesh, on top. Put the reserved fat from the chicken in the bottom of a glass or plastic container. Top with the sandwiched leg portions. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Remove the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and chicken fat and reserve. Rinse the chicken with cool water, rubbing off some of the salt and pepper. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Put the reserved garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and chicken fat in the bottom of an enameled cast iron pot. Sprinkle evenly with the peppercorns and salt. Lay the chicken on top, skin side down. Add the olive oil. Cover and bake for 12 to 14 hours, or until the meat pulls away from the bone.
• Remove the chicken from the fat. Strain the fat and reserve. Pick the meat from the bones and place it in a stoneware container. Cover the meat with some of the strained fat so that there is a 1/4-inch layer of fat on top. The chicken confit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
• The excess oil can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used like butter for cooking. The tinge of chicken taste in the oil is wonderful and I use the oil to roast potatoes, cook green beans, and pan-fry veal.

CHICKEN CONFIT WITH PICKLED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Put the chicken, salt, ras el hanout, garlic, and thyme in a ziplock freezer bag. Seal the bag and shake vigorously. Put the bag in a plastic container to prevent leakage, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
• To pickle the tomatoes, combine the vinegar, water, molasses, salt, and vanilla in a nonreactive container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and shake to completely dissolve the salt. Add the tomatoes, onion, and thyme and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 2 weeks.
• Heat the oven to 225°F. Remove the bag with the chicken from the refrigerator. Pour the contents into a colander in the sink and rinse. Transfer the chicken, garlic, and thyme sprigs to an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with fairly high sides, or a Dutch oven, so that the chicken sits in one layer. Spread the sliced onion on top and pour in the oils, until the chicken is completely covered. Bake for 6 hours, or until the onion has caramelized and the chicken is super tender and delicious and falling off of the bone. Carefully pull the dish out of the oven to cool for an hour, then remove the chicken and strain the fat into a clean lidded jar (it'll keep in the fridge for months). Shred the cooked chicken and set aside on a large plate.
• To make the noodle salad, in a bowl, toss the rice noodles with the herbs, 1⁄2 cup of the reserved confit fat, and the salt.
• Heat 2 teaspoons of the confit fat in a large nonstick pan over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the shredded chicken confit and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned, crispy, and insanely fragrant. Divide the noodle salad among eight bowls and top with the sautéed confit and some pickled tomatoes, and serve.