Rillettes are traditionally made from duck legs but they are just as delicious with chicken – and much more affordable. Chicken rillettes are rather similar to pâté, cooked in fat until they’re deliciously tender and juicy. This is a delicious accompaniment to bread or crackers.
Chicken rillettes
Ingredients
- 500g pork belly, rind removed, cut into small pieces
- 4 chicken thighs with legs, halved
- 250ml (1 cup) dry white wine
- 100ml water
- 1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
- 2,5ml (½ tsp) allspice
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 40g (4 tbsp) butter
- 30ml (2 tbsp) brown sugar, to serve
- 4 plums, halved, to serve
- Melba toast, to serve
- microgreens, to serve
Instructions
Place the pork belly and chicken in a large saucepan. Add the wine, water, garlic, allspice, nutmeg, bay leaves, thyme and seasoning. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Carefully remove the bones and tear the meat into smaller pieces using two forks. Reserve the cooking juices.
Spoon the cooled meat into two sterilised jars and pour in the leftover cooking juices. Melt 20g (2 tbsp) of butter and pour a thin layer over the rillettes. Set aside to cool and store in a cool place.
Melt the remaining butter and the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Place the plum halves, cut-side down, in the butter and sugar mixture. Cook until the sugar starts to caramelise, about 4 – 5 minutes.
Serve the rillettes with caramelised plums, Melba toast and microgreens.
