By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 4, 2026
Serves 6
5493 cal · 1660 min
Chicken Confit
Recipe GLPRd7ee7f723e1574
A classic French preparation where chicken legs are salt-cured and slowly poached in olive oil until the meat becomes tender and flavor-rich. The result is succulent, fall-off-the-bone chicken that can be served warm or at room temperature, with the rendered fat ideal for cooking and storage.
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Ingredients
4 to 6 skin-on, bone-in whole chicken legs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, halved
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 whole cloves
3 bay leaves
4 to 5 cups olive oil
Directions
Pat the chicken legs dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with the salt and black pepper.
Preheat your oven to 200°F (95°C). In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, arrange the seasoned chicken legs in a single layer, skin-side up.
Scatter the halved garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, whole cloves, and bay leaves around and over the chicken pieces.
Pour the olive oil over the chicken, ensuring all pieces are covered. The oil should come about three-quarters of the way up the sides of the chicken.
Place a lid on the pot or cover tightly with foil. Transfer to the preheated oven.
Cook for approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, until the chicken meat is fully tender and easily pulls away from the bone when tested with a fork. The internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh should reach 165°F (74°C).
Remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift out the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking oil and aromatics.
Serve the chicken confit warm or at room temperature, accompanied by the aromatic oil for drizzling. The rendered fat can be strained through a fine sieve and stored in the refrigerator for future cooking use.
Comments
Chicken confit is mostly hands-off once you get it in the oven, and all ingredients are stocked at every Charlotte chain, but that 1660-minute runtime (27.7 hours) is a real commitment—the 24-hour cook time plus 3+ hours of active prep work means this is a weekend project, not a weeknight meal. Cost per serving runs about $3–$4 depending on chicken prices, which is reasonable for a luxury braise. The dish reheats beautifully and actually improves over a few days, but the sheer time investment means you need to plan ahead and have realistic expectations about what you're signing up for.
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