In this recipe from Andrew, rich Chicken Rillettes explodes in you mouth with delicious fresh herbs and the wonderful sweet and sour balance of preserved lemons.
Ingredients
Serves 12
- 8 Chicken thighs, skin removed
- 4 onions
- 100 ml good quality olive oil
- Bunch of Tarragon
- Bunch of Parsley
- 10 sage leaves
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 wedges of preserved lemon, rinsed and flesh removed
- Dried roses
- Half a baguette
Method
- Slice the onions thinly lengthways and place in a medium size saucepan with the olive oil. Using your hands, squelch the onions so they are all split into individual slices and covered in the oil.
- Add the chicken thighs, mix together, add a pinch of salt and pepper, place on the hob on a high heat and put the lid on the saucepan
- Heat on high until the onions begin to sizzle, but not colour, and then remove to a low heat and cook for 2-3 hours until the chicken is tender and falls away from the bone. Check and stir every 30 min to ensure nothing is sticking to the pan. You will see that the onions will release their juices and mix with the oil, creating a delicious bath for the chicken to stew in.
- Once cooked, place on the side to cool for about an hour. In the meantime, wash, dry and chop herbs finely, leaving some of each to the side for garnish then add the herbs and lemon zest. If not serving that day, refrigerate without adding the herbs and then add herbs before you serve.
- Before serving, cut the baguette at an angle to give you a thin base for the rillettes. Cut 15 or so for good measure. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt then brown under the grill on each side until a little crispy.
- Remove two preserved lemon wedges from the jar, rinse and remove the flesh. Cut into thin, lengthwise slices to give you 12 slices and dice the other.
- To assemble, place your baguette slices on a wooden board. Take a small spoon from the drawer and use it to place the rillettes on each slice. Garnish with the slice of preserved lemon and sprinkle of the diced lemon then roughly chop the remaining herbs and scatter over the board with the roses.
- If you refrigerate the rillettes overnight, warm to room temperature before adding the herbs and serving.