Chicken confit by-product

[helenas]

I made a quick chicken confit this Sunday.

Here is an idea of the recipe:

curing chicken thighs for an hour or so straight in the baking dish that holds thighs snugly;

baking them covered in 325F for an hour skin down;

baking them covered in 325F for an hour skin up;

roasting them in 450F for 20 minutes or so skin up until skin is browned and crackling.

The end result is divine.

Now here is my question about this thing that is left after confiting. There is a layer of fat and whatever other pan juices. It's really a pity to throw this away. But how can i use this stuff?

Thank you.

[Nick]

Quick search. From Emeril:

" Pick the meat from the bones and place it in a

stoneware container. Cover the meat with some of the strained fat, making

a 1/4-inch layer. The chicken confit can be stored in the refrigerator for

up to one 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 you can use the oil

to roast potatoes, cook green beans, and pan-fry veal."

[spqr]

I made a quick chicken confit this Sunday.

I thought a confit consists of long, low heat cooking of items submerged in oil. Helena's description sounds like baked chicken legs rather than a confit. Am I missing something?

[Nick]

I thought a confit consists of long, low heat cooking of items submerged in oil. Helena's description sounds like baked chicken legs rather than a confit. Am I missing something?

That's what I thought (except for the oil) but I didn't want to step on any feet. Here also from Emeril -

"Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

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."

I don't know anything about Emeril other than having heard his name. I just did a Google search on chicken confit and his seemed fairly complete.

Here's the whole recipe -

Emeril's Chicken Confit

Edit: As I've said on other threads, I cook with a wood range during the winter. It's something I began doing in 1968. In this case, the cooking at 200 degrees for 12-14 hours probably arose from the days when more people cooked with wood and probably in brick ovens. This would have been something that slowly cooked overnight as the oven cooled down and there was no other need for it.

[Suzanne F]

Even if it's only chicken fat, no oil, you can keep it in the fridge and use it for cooking. Not as tasty as duck or goose fat, but pretty good. I assume it's been in the fridge since Sunday, right? Scrape the fat from the congealed juices, put it in a saucepan, and heat it until it boils gently. Chicken fat can have lot of water in it, which can cause it to go bad. So this is a lot like making clarified butter. Once the bubbling stops, pour it (very carefully -- it's HOT) into a clean jar, cap it, and let it cool down some. Then refrigerate. Use to make sauces, to sauté -- waste not, want not.

The juices are good to add to stocks and soups, or to chicken sautés to make a pan sauce. But these you have to freeze to keep.

Forgive me if I'm telling you what you already know.

[Malawry]

You can save your leftover duck fat from a duck confit and use it to confit your next batch. I don't see why you couldn't do this with leftover fat from chicken confit, unless you're sick of chicken confit that is.