How to make Rillettes-Chicken and duck terrine
Hello foodies, This week recipe is focused on "Charcuterie". You may have heard of "Pate", "Foie Gras", Terrine, Chicken Parfait but have you heard of Rillettes? This is a speciality from the city of  " Le Mans", famous for the 24 hours car race. The rillettes is traditionally made of pork and pork fat. However, after making so many in my young years as a chef caterer, i have decided to give ma "Rillettes" a twist and i am sharing this with all of you. In this recipe i am using pork fat, a whole chicken, duck breasts and condiments. The process can take a long time, but it is well worth it when you know you can keep it for months. Warning, they are addictive and rich in cholesterol. Let's cook and you will be amazed by it. Frenchy
Servings: 20 yield(s)
Prep Time: 60 mins
Cook Time: 180 mins
Total Time: 240 mins
Ingredients
    This recipe makes about 2 kg of Rillettes-get some terrine or some clean recycled jam jars
  • 1.350 kg Whole chicken (or Chicken pieces on the bone will save you time )
  • 400 g Duck Breast (or legs)
  • 400 g Pork fat
  • 200 g Duck fat (to preserve at the end of the process)
  • 200 ml White wine
  • 400 ml Water
  • 20 Fennel seeds
  • 30 Black pepper whole
  • 50 g Shallots diced
  • 4 Garlic cloves
  • 4 Bay leaves
  • 5 Thyme (branch)
  • 45 g Salt
Instructions
    Deboning the chicken- Save your time if you want and get chicken legs and breast on the bones
  1. Using a small knife, remove the first breast of the chicken by gently cutting against the sternum and rib cage of the chicken. Using this technique is a little time consuming but cost effective.
  2. Keep cutting the flesh following the rib cage and cut into the koint of the wing. Remove the first breat and keep aside.
  3. Do the same for the second breast.
  4. For the leg just pull it away from the chicken frame until you hear it pop. It means the leg joint is dislocated.
  5. Turn the chiken uside down and using your small knive remove the leg by cutting the flesh away from the chicken frame.
  6. Repeat this action for the other leg and keep the frame as we will cook it too.
  7. Cut your breast in half and the leg through the joint that separate the front leg to the tigh.
  8. Cut your duck breasts in 4 lare pieces, keep the fat on it.
    9. Confit time
  9. Weigh all your meat, it is important for your seasoning. You should have 28 grams of Salt per kilograms of meat.
  10. In an heavy duty pot like a dutch oven style, melt all the pork fat. Once hot, add the chicken frame and the pieces of duck breast.
  11. Bring to boil and cook for 10 minutes. this will render the duck fat.
  12. Meanwhile, prepare all your condiments to give this unique flavour to the rillettes (fennel seeds, black peppercorn, shallots, garlic, salt, thyme, bay leaves, white wine and water)
  13. Smashed the garlic and dice finely the shallots.
  14. By the time you do this, your duck fat is rendered.
  15. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 10 minutes. (simmering).
  16. Turn the pieces upside down, keep it at simmering motion.
  17. Add the perpercorn and fennel seeds.
  18. Add the thyme.
  19. Add the salt.
  20. Add the bay leaves, garlic and shallots.
  21. Add the white wine.
  22. add the water.
  23. Give it a stir, cover with a lead and simmer for 2.5 hours gently (gentle boil). That is how you confit meats.
  24. 2.5 hours later, remove the lead fo the pot.
  25. Check if the meat is breaking down. i use tongs for it and press the meat.
  26. Using 2 bowls and a colander, drain the entire meat into a bowl (we are keeping the juices and fat for later use).
  27. Place the meat and colander over another bowl, cover and cool down in the fridge
    28. Finishing the rillettes
  28. Once cool down, your fat and juice bowl should look a little set, the cooking juices looks like jelly under the fat. This is just the best. Prepare your jars or terrine dishes (make sure they are well clean or sterilised)
  29. Using gloves and another clean bowl, separate all the meat from the bones. Collect as much meat as possible and make the terrine boneless. Remove also all the bay leaves and thyme branches.
  30. As you can see or imagine, all the meat is boneless. I am adding back about 1/4 of the fat i cooked the meat with, to the broken duck and chicken meat. i mix everything using a spatula. I have also added about 4 soup spoon of the jelly to the meat. This gives extra rich flavour to the rillettes.
  31. Mix it all very well and check the seasoning. You should not need any but in case, always check. You can keep the rest of the cooking fat in a container for weeks and roast potatoes with it for examples. You can keep the jelly to make your next Chicken jus or sauce or keep it in the freezer for your next chicken soup or veloute.
  32. Once you have checked the seasoning, pack firmly your terrine by pressing down the rillettes, avoiding any air bubbles in the terrine.
  33. Do the same for the jars.
  34. Clean the edge of the jars and terrines with a clean absorbent paper.
  35. Cover and set for 10 minutes in the freezer.
  36. Meanwhile gently melt your duck fat in the microwave for few seconds. We like the fat just melted and not too hot.
  37. Pour a 3 mm thickness fat layer over the rillettes. THis is a traditional methods to preserves rillettes and terrines by using fat on top.
  38. Cover the jars and terrines and keep in the fridge until you want to use them.
  39. Serve the rillettes as an entree or finger food. In a tart shell, with cornichons (small gerkhin).
  40. Or on a slice of sourdough or baguettes. Bon Appetit Frenchy
Recipe Notes

You can keep the rillettes for up to 3 months in the fridge as long as you hav not open the jar. However i will be surprised if it last that long. Mine were gone in 3 weeks. I also do larger terrines, let them set in the fridge, unmold, cut large slices, vaccum seal them and freeze it. I had some for up to a year, and once defrosted, they were as good as the first day i made them.