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Chicken Thighs Poached in Olive Oil
By Charlie Burke
Lately, I’ve been experimenting with low temperature cooking, finding in slow
preparations of beef short ribs and pork shoulder that this method intensifies
the flavor of the meat and the accompanying herbs and aromatic vegetables.
The finished meat is very moist and has amazing tenderness, and timing is
easy because the meat can be held at serving temperature in the oven or
prepared ahead and reheated.
Chefs have started poaching fish, especially salmon, in olive oil at low
temperatures, and I found a fillet I prepared that way to be amazingly moist, so
I decided to try poaching chicken at low temperature in olive oil. I have done a
recipe for chicken thighs seared and then oven roasted for this column, and this
high temperature recipe gave excellent results, but the moist tenderness of the
poached thighs and their intense flavor were remarkable.
This preparation is simple and the cooking time is three hours or so, freeing
the cook for other tasks. Chicken thighs are used because the dark meat is
richer and has more moisture than breast meat and having all pieces the same
size ensures that they will cook in the same time. Whole cloves of our recently
harvested garlic and sliced onions were the aromatics chosen for this dish, and
a few sage leaves were added to flavor the oil. I also added some Nicoise and
green olives because I particularly enjoy them and they remind me of dishes in
France and Spain.
Although a large volume of oil is used, it is not absorbed by the chicken, and
the pieces are wiped of excess oil before serving, so there is no more fat in this
dish than in any roasted or sautéed dish. Because the oil is used at low
temperatures, it can be strained, refrigerated and saved for similar
preparations or to add flavor to sautéed vegetables or potatoes.
4 servings:
Eight chicken thighs, skin on, preferably form local free range chickens
4-5 whole peeled garlic cloves
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Sea or kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
3-4 fresh sage leaves, thyme sprigs or pieces of rosemary
Nicoise or other olives - optional
Extra virgin olive oil.
Choose a sauté pan or other heavy bottomed shallow pan just large enough to
hold the thighs in one layer. Place the pan over medium-high heat and film
with olive oil. Season both sides of the thighs with salt and pepper and place
skin side down into the pan. Do not crowd the pieces. Sauté (in 2 lots if
necessary) until the skin is nicely browned – approximately 5 minutes. Remove
the thighs from the pan and pour off fat.
Spread the onion slices and herbs over the bottom of the sauté pan and place
the thighs with the skin up into the pan. Scatter the garlic and olives among the
thighs and add olive oil sufficient to bring the level up to but not covering the
skin. Place the pan into a preheated 225 degree oven.
Check the temperature of the thighs at 2 hours. If the temperature is
approaching 160 – 170 degrees, lower the oven heat to 185; if the temperature is
lower, leave the oven at 225 degrees. Check the temperature every thirty
minutes until it reaches 175 degrees. The thighs cannot overcook if they are
cooked at their 175 degree serving temperature, so an easy alternative is to
lower the oven to 175 degrees as the thighs reach 150-160 degrees and keep
them in the oven until serving time (just be sure that they have reached 175
degrees).
Cooked thighs can be held in the oven at 165 - 175 degrees for at least 2 hours
or can be removed, cooled and refrigerated, covered with foil, to be reheated in
a 325 degree oven until the thighs reach 165-170 degrees.
To serve, remove the thighs from the oil and pat with paper towels to remove
the oil. Serve on warmed plates with the garlic and onions and olives, if using.
Roasted or mashed potatoes and your choice of fall or winter vegetables
complete the plate.
This is a perfect preparation for fall and winter weekends for entertaining or for
your family. A full bodied red wine, such as a Cotes de Rhone or a Rioja
would go well with the Mediterranean feel to this dish. We cook extra and like
to remove the meat from the bones to be served on a salad with vinaigrette
made with some of the olive oil from the recipe or reheated in the jelled juices
found around the refrigerated thighs after skimming off the congealed olive oil.
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice president of
the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president of the NH Farm to
Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton (NH) Farmers' Market.
Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows certified organic herbs, greens and
berries at Weather Hill Farm in Sanbornton, NH.
By Charlie Burke
Lately, I’ve been experimenting with low temperature cooking, finding in slow
preparations of beef short ribs and pork shoulder that this method intensifies
the flavor of the meat and the accompanying herbs and aromatic vegetables.
The finished meat is very moist and has amazing tenderness, and timing is
easy because the meat can be held at serving temperature in the oven or
prepared ahead and reheated.
Chefs have started poaching fish, especially salmon, in olive oil at low
temperatures, and I found a fillet I prepared that way to be amazingly moist, so
I decided to try poaching chicken at low temperature in olive oil. I have done a
recipe for chicken thighs seared and then oven roasted for this column, and this
high temperature recipe gave excellent results, but the moist tenderness of the
poached thighs and their intense flavor were remarkable.
This preparation is simple and the cooking time is three hours or so, freeing
the cook for other tasks. Chicken thighs are used because the dark meat is
richer and has more moisture than breast meat and having all pieces the same
size ensures that they will cook in the same time. Whole cloves of our recently
harvested garlic and sliced onions were the aromatics chosen for this dish, and
a few sage leaves were added to flavor the oil. I also added some Nicoise and
green olives because I particularly enjoy them and they remind me of dishes in
France and Spain.
Although a large volume of oil is used, it is not absorbed by the chicken, and
the pieces are wiped of excess oil before serving, so there is no more fat in this
dish than in any roasted or sautéed dish. Because the oil is used at low
temperatures, it can be strained, refrigerated and saved for similar
preparations or to add flavor to sautéed vegetables or potatoes.
4 servings:
Eight chicken thighs, skin on, preferably form local free range chickens
4-5 whole peeled garlic cloves
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Sea or kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
3-4 fresh sage leaves, thyme sprigs or pieces of rosemary
Nicoise or other olives - optional
Extra virgin olive oil.
Choose a sauté pan or other heavy bottomed shallow pan just large enough to
hold the thighs in one layer. Place the pan over medium-high heat and film
with olive oil. Season both sides of the thighs with salt and pepper and place
skin side down into the pan. Do not crowd the pieces. Sauté (in 2 lots if
necessary) until the skin is nicely browned – approximately 5 minutes. Remove
the thighs from the pan and pour off fat.
Spread the onion slices and herbs over the bottom of the sauté pan and place
the thighs with the skin up into the pan. Scatter the garlic and olives among the
thighs and add olive oil sufficient to bring the level up to but not covering the
skin. Place the pan into a preheated 225 degree oven.
Check the temperature of the thighs at 2 hours. If the temperature is
approaching 160 – 170 degrees, lower the oven heat to 185; if the temperature is
lower, leave the oven at 225 degrees. Check the temperature every thirty
minutes until it reaches 175 degrees. The thighs cannot overcook if they are
cooked at their 175 degree serving temperature, so an easy alternative is to
lower the oven to 175 degrees as the thighs reach 150-160 degrees and keep
them in the oven until serving time (just be sure that they have reached 175
degrees).
Cooked thighs can be held in the oven at 165 - 175 degrees for at least 2 hours
or can be removed, cooled and refrigerated, covered with foil, to be reheated in
a 325 degree oven until the thighs reach 165-170 degrees.
To serve, remove the thighs from the oil and pat with paper towels to remove
the oil. Serve on warmed plates with the garlic and onions and olives, if using.
Roasted or mashed potatoes and your choice of fall or winter vegetables
complete the plate.
This is a perfect preparation for fall and winter weekends for entertaining or for
your family. A full bodied red wine, such as a Cotes de Rhone or a Rioja
would go well with the Mediterranean feel to this dish. We cook extra and like
to remove the meat from the bones to be served on a salad with vinaigrette
made with some of the olive oil from the recipe or reheated in the jelled juices
found around the refrigerated thighs after skimming off the congealed olive oil.
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice president of
the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president of the NH Farm to
Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton (NH) Farmers' Market.
Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows certified organic herbs, greens and
berries at Weather Hill Farm in Sanbornton, NH.
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