Garlic-Confit Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

“Confit” comes from the French word confire, meaning “to preserve.” Slow-cooking garlic in oil creates a rich yet mellow flavor. For this recipe, you’ll need to first prepare the garlic confit with lemon and thyme, and then add the chicken to cook in the confit.

Garlic confit can be used as a condiment, so I always keep a jar of it in my refrigerator. Once you have the garlic confit on hand, you can have a delicious meal on the table in a fraction of the time.

Recipes and images from The Modern Table: Kosher Recipes for Everyday Gatherings by Kim Kushner (Figure 1 Publishing, 2022). Photography by Kate Sears. 

Garlic-Confit Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

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Servings

4 Servings

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Ingredients

• 20 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 lemon very thinly sliced and pits removed
• 5-6 sprigs thyme
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 3-lb whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin on and bone in, trimmed of excess skin and fat
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
• 2 teaspoons honey

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325ºF.
• Combine garlic, lemon, and thyme into a baking dish that is large enough to hold the chicken. Pour in olive oil and bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes, until garlic has softened. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Increase the oven temperature to 375ºF.
• Generously season chicken with salt and pepper. Using your hands, rub vinegar and honey over the chicken.
• Using a wooden spoon, move the garlic mixture to the sides of the baking dish to create a space in the center. Add the chicken to the center of the dish and spoon the garlic mixture on top of the chicken.
• Cover with an ovenproof lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for another 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
• Discard thyme and serve.

Notes

Tips:

Get Organized: To save time, use store-bought peeled garlic.

Substitutions: You can experiment with different herbs.

Omissions: Garlic confit can be prepared with or without the lemon and thyme.

Make It Ahead: Garlic confit with lemon and thyme can be prepared, cooled, and stored in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Before use, bring the confit to room temperature to liquify the oil.

Reheat :Garlic-Confit Chicken with Lemon and Thyme can be reheated, uncovered, in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes.