Nicholas Gavin is the Culinary Creative Director of ChefSteps, where he develops recipes and is responsible for making all the food look beautiful. Nick has worked at ChefSteps for over a decade; he and ChefSteps co-founder Grant Crilly worked together at Modernist Cuisine. Nick has worked in professional kitchens both in the United States and abroad, most notably at Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain.

Nicholas Gavin

Everyone knows duck confit. But chicken confit? What’s that? Think of a cross between those super-tender brined and roasted chickens at your favorite members-only grocery store, but with a beautifully crisped skin that’s more reminiscent of fried chicken, with more concentrated chicken flavor. Confit might just be the best way to prepare a chicken leg. And if you dial in the cooking and searing temperatures with precision, you also have the ability to determine the final texture of the cooked chicken meat lying just beneath that crispy skin. This method was developed side-by-side with our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/precision-duck-confit">Precision Duck Confit</a>. The only difference lies in the cook time, because chicken legs aren’t as tough as duck legs, and they don’t have nearly as much subcutaneous fat, so they only need to cook for a couple of hours. And, since there’s no trappings of tradition to worry about, you can just use neutral oil for the confit, instead of rendered chicken (or duck) fat. It’s easier and quicker to prepare than duck confit, and it might just be as delicious.

Precision Chicken Leg Confit