Confit is that rare art form that’s as pragmatic as it is swoonworthy.
Cook Your Turkey in Duck Fat
The classic French technique, which typically involves curing, poaching, and storing a duck in its own fat, and then reheating it and crisping the skin just before serving, evolved as a prerefrigeration way to preserve meat.
The advance prep works all kinds of magic on the bird, making it dense and silky and concentrating its flavor. The method is also naturally make ahead and mostly hands-off.
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Senior editor Lan Lam’s recipe for turkey thigh confit can be made more than 10 days in advance and needs little more than the crisping of the skin minutes before the meal. It will also deliver the best-tasting turkey you’ve ever had on Thanksgiving.
Why Is Confit Such a Great Technique for Turkey?
Confit keeps turkey moist. Dryness can be a typical turkey pitfall, even with dark meat. Poaching it in oil at a low temperature is an inherently gentle method and means little moisture will escape from the meat during cooking. The salt cure also helps the meat retain moisture.
Confit enhances savoriness. During the days-long cure, salt; sugar; and some water-soluble compounds in other flavorings like onions, herbs, and black pepper make their way into the turkey, seasoning it to the bone.
Confit makes turkey satisfyingly dense. After a while, during the long, slow poach, the chloride from the salt starts to denature and “cook” some of the proteins, giving the meat the satisfying firm, dense texture that is a hallmark of confit.
Is Duck Fat Essential for Confit?
Duck fat is traditional (ducks are fatty birds, so historically it made sense to use the bird’s own fat to cook and preserve it).
But the meat doesn’t absorb fat during cooking, and chicken fat or even vegetable oil also produce confit that browns beautifully and tastes similar.
Plus, whatever fat you choose will absorb flavor from the turkey as it cooks, infusing it with flavor. That oil can then be strained, frozen indefinitely, and reused in a variety of applications: more confit, turkey gravy, and skillet-roasted brussels sprouts or Duck-Fat Roasted Potatoes.
Confit at a Glance
You’ll need at least five days to make the confit, and almost all the preparation time is hands-off.
1. Cure turkey thighs for 4 to 6 days.
Our cure is a paste made of salt, sugar, onions, fresh thyme, and black pepper that we spread over the meat. The paste gets rinsed off before cooking.
2. Oven-poach thighs in fat or oil for 4 to 5 hours.
Cook until the meat is so tender that a metal skewer inserted into the largest thigh slips right out.
3. Warm thighs through on stovetop; brown in hot oven.
At serving time, all you need to do is remove the turkey from the fat (rewarmed until it melts, if you refrigerated it), set it on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet, and blast it in a super-hot oven to crisp the skin.
Bonus tip! After oven-poaching, you can refrigerate the turkey confit for up to 6 days. This step is optional but can definitely come in handy if your days right before Thanksgiving are busy making other dishes. The waiting won’t impact the flavor or texture.
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Start Free TrialAbsolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too. I've done this using a rimmed sheet pan instead of a skillet and put veggies and potatoes around the chicken for a one-pan meal. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy!
Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too.
Amazed this recipe works out as well as it does. Would not have thought that the amount of time under the broiler would have produced a very juicy and favorable chicken with a very crispy crust. Used my 12" Lodge Cast Iron skillet (which can withstand 1000 degree temps to respond to those who wondered if it would work) and it turned out great. A "make again" as my family rates things. This is a great recipe, and I will definitely make it again. My butcher gladly butterflied the chicken for me, therefore I found it to be a fast and easy prep. I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous!
John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? So much better than your typical oven baked chicken and on par if not better than gas or even charcoal grilled. It gets that smokey charcoal tasted and overnight koshering definitely helps, something I do when time permits. First-time I've pierced a whole chicken minus the times I make jerk chicken on the grill. Yup, the cast iron was not an issue.