This recipe features slow-cooked chicken leg quarters confit-style in olive oil infused with garlic, citrus, and fresh herbs until fork-tender. The chicken is then broiled for a crispy skin and served alongside an aglio e olio pasta tossed directly in the aromatic confit oil.
Ingredients
½ cup basil pesto
4 pieces Mountaire® Blue Label Leg Quarters
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp black pepper
¼ cup garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup orange zest, chiffonade
5 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh sage
2 quarts olive oil, warmed
1 ½ tbsp flaked sea salt
2 tbsp parsley, minced
1 container angel hair pasta, cooked al dente in salted water
2 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
Season chicken leg quarters: Evenly season leg quarters with kosher salt and black pepper.
Confit the chicken: Preheat oven to 225°F, low fan. In a 4″ hotel pan, place seasoned chicken leg quarters in a single layer. Top with sliced garlic, orange peel, thyme, rosemary, and sage. Drizzle olive oil over chicken, until chicken is fully submerged in oil. Cover and bake chicken for five hours, until chicken is fork tender and has an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove chicken from pan and hold chilled until service. Strain out solids from confit oil and reserve oil for pasta.
Make the aglio e olio pasta: Toss the cooked pasta with chicken confit oil and a little lemon juice.
Broil chicken: Broil confit chicken until skin becomes crispy, 3-5 minutes. Garnish with flaked sea salt and minced parsley. Serve chicken over aglio e olio pasta.
