I tried something new the other night and it was awesome. Confit! I confit’ed something.

What is that you say, Katie? Confit? Sounds fancy.

The answer to that is, sorta- kinda- not really. Let’s break it down.

Confit is a classic French cooking technique. The word is derived from the french word that means, “to preserve”. Originally, it was used as a method to make meats shelf stable for long periods of time, but it tastes so good that it is still a common technique, despite the fact that we now have refrigerators and people don’t generally keep meat around on their shelves. The preservation occurs when you cook the meat slowly at low temperatures in a substance that is bacteria resistant, like olive oil. Apparently, after doing this, you could put your chicken into a jar, making sure it is completely covered by the cooking oil, seal it, and it would be fine for weeks in a cool room or months in a fridge. Crazy!

But, more importantly than the fun history/sciencey lesson, it tastes delicious. The chicken thighs became rich and absurdly tender in the process. And while you would think that it would seem greasy from all the olive oil, it does not.

When I cooked the chicken confit, afterwards, I put some of the oil in a pan and cooked the thighs skin side down until they were very brown and crispy. Crisping up the skin after you take them out of the oil takes it to another level. Another level, y’all. It leaves you with chicken that is straight up succulent. Tender and moist, but with a great crispy skin on top.

So, I hope you see that despite it sounding fancy (which it’s not) and French (which it is), it is not complicated. It does take a while to cook, but I cook stuff all the time that takes longer (pulled pork or brisket for example). And this dish will have a real wow factor that will make you sound as impressive as the dish tastes. Serve the chicken on rice, pasta, or couscous with a side of roasted vegetables. Or hey, whatever sounds good to you. And leftovers can be shredded and turned into some amazing sandwiches.

Chicken Confit

• 4 chicken thighs, bone-in/ skin on
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 head of garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup olive oil

Set oven to 225. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Pack into a loaf pan with garlic and rosemary. Pour oil over the top. Cover with foil and place in oven for 3 hours.

Remove from oven. Before serving, heat a skillet to medium-high and add a few tablespoons of the oil from the confit. Sear chicken thighs, skin side down, until brown and crispy. For a great, crisp crust, try not to move them around too much when they’re in the pan.

Enjoy!