poulet en confit

So with the discussions of confit and a Whole Chicken sitting in the fridge this weekend I was off on a task.

The chicken got butchered into Breasts, Legs and then stock made. With the legs they were cured in a simple cure of #1, salt, sugar, and Herbs de Provence.

Once cured I cooked in the Sous-Vide method at 180 for 12 hours and used fresh Lard in lieu of Duck Fat as that is what was available.

So here is the chicken after sitting overnight in the fridge for 24 hours. Tried to crisp up the skin at 425 for 20 minutes. Ended up keeping in the oven for 25 minutes but the skin didn't get as crispy as I'd of liked


Here is the plated version with my favorite veggies, Peas and Sweet Potatoe


And since I'm a Monosyllabic eater you can see what the Chicken itself looked like. Once the skin was removed the leg naturally seperated from the thigh and when I tried to lift the leg by the bone the meat stayed on the plate.


My impression is that the meat was as tender as braising methods such as the slow cooker but not as stringy. The flavor was great not too salty and not overwhelming on the herbs, and not hammy. Tasted like chicken! There was a richness imparted by the fat that is indescribable and the texture was closer to that of a day old refrigerated left over but more tender.

Now to see if I can source a fresh duck and give Duck Confit a try and maybe that Cassoulet a try. Hoping Central Market or Whole Foods can come through otherwise I may have to make due with a frozen Peking Duck.

Dang, I was wondering how chicken confit would go, guess now I know.

It looks like 12 hrs worked nice for you. at 8, I thought it needed more time.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Tried to crisp up the skin at 425 for 20 minutes. Ended up keeping in the oven for 25 minutes but the skin didn't get as crispy as I'd of liked </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

in similar conditions the duck was nice and crispy, must be a difference in skin make up.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by j biesinger:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Tried to crisp up the skin at 425 for 20 minutes. Ended up keeping in the oven for 25 minutes but the skin didn't get as crispy as I'd of liked </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

in similar conditions the duck was nice and crispy, must be a difference in skin make up. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I tried the other leg quarter last night. After taking it out of the vacuum pouch I got all the fat and confit jelly off it, then wiped it down and put a thin layer of the fat back on to see if that would help crisp it up.

No it didn't. The skin ends up very thin almost transparent and fragile. Very much like a competition chicken thigh with all the fat scraped off. The extended cooking time allowed all the fat to render away.

I'd have to make it the traditional way to determine if it was because of sous vide or if it's a characteristic of chicken. But since there is a whole fryer in the fridge and I've got about 1 quart of lard.....

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">No it didn't. The skin ends up very thin almost transparent and fragile. Very much like a competition chicken thigh with all the fat scraped off. The extended cooking time allowed all the fat to render away. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

you did cook hotter and considerably longer than I did, but until you do duck or I do chicken we won't know for sure.

Sure does open up some possibilities for comps though. With chicken and hot tubs, the issue of par boiling is pretty grey IMO. I wonder how sous vide would work within KCBS rules?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Tried to crisp up the skin at 425 for 20 minutes. Ended up keeping in the oven for 25 minutes but the skin didn't get as crispy as I'd of liked </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
My preferred way: Place a nonstick sheetpan in the oven first, then preheat at 400?. After the oven is to temp place the quarters on the sheetpan skin side down; roast about 20 min. (Alternatively, heat a nonstick pan over medium heat, film with oil (only if necessary) then cook skin down. The first way works better.)

So I did the traditional cooking method with 2 let quarters during the week and had one for lunch today.

To keep things consistant I did the same roasting procedure that was done on the other 2 so the only difference was Sous Vide vs. Poaching in oil.

The skin was crisper in the traditional method. Overall it was thicker and had more of the fat still on the back. The sous vide seemed to render more of the fat from under the skin.

Will try Kevin's recommendation next weekend. Have to fly out of town tomorrow morning and not return till Thursday night.

Out of the fridge:


Out of the Oven:


Plated with Broccoli and Bok Choy:


Tender and succulent: