Chicken Rillettes
I am a fan of breakfast as diverse as possible. We spread a lot of things on bread and homemade pate is among the favorites. I really like my new delicious chicken liver parfait, hummus (lentil hummus too), mushroom pate etc. Notice that they all have a fine paste texture and I wanted to change something, so I started experimenting with pate with bigger chunks, inspired by the French Rillettes. The Duck Rilletes is a wonderful one, I already showed it to you last season, today I will show you how I make the same chicken rillettes.
It's absolutely wonderful, the roasted meat has a special taste, I didn't use too many spices, only a few that highlight the main ingredient, the chicken. In addition, it's very easy to cook, but it also keeps well in the fridge for 1 month (but it won't last that much, I guarantee you :). Check the steps for more details about the recipe and ingredients, this one is to be kept and used as often as possible!
And by the way, besides the fact that it's great for breakfast, it's also an appetizer for any meal - some mini-sandwiches with rillettes and pickles will look impressive.
First of all, for this homemade pate, I choose boneless chicken legs but with the skin on, they are more tender and release some delicious fat juice. I recommend as much as possible to choose chicken raised more correctly (I buy boneless thighs from Lidl, the yellow ones from chicken raised with corn).
If you buy the legs with bones, I recommend deboning them beforehand, it's not difficult. And they have the skin on. So make sure you clean them well and remove all the hard and bony parts, even for the already deboned ones!
Cut each thigh into 2-3 medium pieces, then heat the butter well in a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pan and cook them.
Make sure they don't sit too close to each other while frying, it's better to cook them in 2 rounds.
Toss the onion and the garlic cut into large pieces over the browned thighs.
Mix well and leave for another 5 minutes to cook.
Now season the meat with salt, ground pepper, bay leaf (and thyme if you have).
Pour enough cold water to completely cover the meat, you can combine it with 100ml of semi-dry white wine.
Leave the pot over heat until the whole mixture starts to boil actively.
Then move to the preheated oven at 160 degrees C.
Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 2 hours.
After 1 hour the meat looks like this, turn on the other side with a fork.
In 2 hours' time, it will be like this - perfectly baked. It's also very important that the juice doesn't drop too much. So, cook with a lid on and over medium heat.
I transfered the meat and the juice to a bowl or plate (not to damage the sides of the pan with the fork). Discard the bay leaf and the sprig of thyme, if you used.
While it's hot, tear the meat into fine shreds using 2 forks.
Move the pate into bowls, small jars and press well with a spoon.
If it is not greasy enough, I recommend pouring a few tablespoons of hot butter or lard on top.
If consumed in 4-5 days it won't be necessary, but for a safer storage, the fat perfectly preserves the meat.
Cover with a lid or cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 days.
Ideally, it should be refrigerated for even 3-5 days before serving, but we never have the patience :))
We like to have it on wholemeal bread and it's absolutely wonderful!
Enjoy!
