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Potted Chicken Rillettes

Today is Christmas Eve.  Crazy. Yes, I know everyone always says how fast it happened. It actually did happen fast this year.  The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was shorter this year than most years.  I just finished my shopping today.  I have it in print now...next year I'm starting early.  In fact, I think I'll start right after Christmas!

We spend Christmas Eve with Daryl's sister and her family.  This year we were asked to bring an appetizer so we decided to bring Chicken Rillettes.  Years ago we ate at a wonderful restaurant here in  the Twin Cities called Craftsman.  We ordered pork rilletes as an appetizer and were blown away by how good they were.  Flash forward to this year when we were at Tilia in Minneapolis, and again ordered rilletes as an appetizer, again we were blown away.  After that meal I was in search of the recipe.  I found one in of course, bon appetit!  We made it this summer and fell in love immediately.

It is a meal that takes a couple days to make so you have to plan ahead.  You may have started to notice, if you have looked at any of our other recipes, that Daryl's recipes tend to take awhile to make.  His hobby is cooking.  It used to be golf, but the aches and pains that come along with it have side lined his playing a bit.  Those of you familiar with golf know that it is an all day sporting event well, cooking is now Daryl's all day sporting event.   He started the rillettes on Sunday, and just finished them last night.  He was also up on and off all night last night baking bread to go with it.

Ingredients:
BRAISED CHICKEN
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme plus 4 large thyme sprigs
  • 4 bay leaves (preferably fresh); 2 finely chopped, 2 left whole
  • 1 5-pound whole chicken (preferably organic), rinsed, patted dry
  • 1 cup chopped carrot
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth






Browning the whole chicken.

FOR BRAISED CHICKEN
  • Combine 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons chopped thyme, and 2 chopped bay leaves in small bowl. Rub herb mixture all over chicken; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and chill overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pot and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add carrot, celery, onion, and garlic; sauté until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in 4 thyme sprigs and 2 whole bay leaves. Add wine and boil until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add enough broth to come halfway up sides of chicken; bring to boil. Cover pot; place in oven and braise until chicken is tender, turning chicken once, about 1 hour.
  • Remove pot from oven; transfer chicken to bowl and cool slightly. Strain braising liquid into large saucepan. Boil until liquid is reduced to 2 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Remove skin and bones from chicken; shred chicken meat into bite-size pieces and reserve for chicken rillettes. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill chicken and braising liquid separately.
  • Cooked chicken.


Ingredients:

CHICKEN RILLETTES

  • 1 cup
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped shallots (7 to 8 ounces)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • Shredded braised chicken (from recipe above)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • Crusty country bread slices or baguette slices
  • Purchased pickles

Sauteing the shallots.


FOR CHICKEN RILLETTES

  • Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add remaining 3/4 cup butter to skillet and allow to melt. Stir in tarragon and thyme, then shredded chicken and reserved 2 1/2 cups braising liquid. Simmer until chicken is very moist and tender and liquid is slightly reduced but some liquid still remains, about 5 minutes. Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Mix in parsley and chives.
  • Pack chicken rillettes into large glass jar or divide among smaller jars. Chill uncovered until cold, then seal jar and keep chilled. DO AHEAD Can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.
  • Serve rillettes with crusty bread and pickles.
  • Rillettes in mason jars, and the homemade bread.  Don't forget to serve it with pickles - perfection!


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