Easy Chicken Confit in High Oleic Soy Oil with Lentils and Tomato Garlic Confit

To prepare the confit: In a medium bowl, mix the shallot, garlic, thyme leaves, kosher salt, black pepper and fennel seeds. Rub into the chicken legs-concentrating on the non-skin side. Place the legs on a cooling rack fitted over a sheet pan with the skin side down. Lightly wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, place 2 legs in each of 3 cryovac bags with 4 oz of soy oil in each bag. Seal the bag and sous vide at 165°F for 5 hours. Remove the bags from the water bath and cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Chicken may now be stored for service. To finish, place on a sheet pan in a 500 °F oven for 20 minutes.

To prepare the Lentils: Rinse the lentils with water and drain. In a sautoir, heat 2 oz. of the soy oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, bay and thyme and sweat until translucent. Add the lentils and stir to coat. When the lentils are hot, add the chicken stock and cover with a lid. Simmer until the lentils are cooked but still retain their shape. While the lentils are cooking: in a sauté pan large enough to hold all the vegetables, heat the remaining 1 oz of oil and sweat the fennel and carrot until just al-dente. Add the bell pepper and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat. When the lentils are cooked, fold in the vegetable garniture, add a little more chicken stock if it seems dry and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the parsley right before serving

To prepare the Tomato Garlic Confit : Heat the oil, the garlic cloves and the oregano in a small pot over a low flame. Cook until the garlic is soft but still holding its shape. Add the tomatoes and a few pinches of salt. When the tomatoes begin to pop their skins remove them with the garlic from the oil. It is fine that some of the oil comes along with the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with balsamic.

To plate the dish: Spoon the lentils into a shallow bowl-add the crispy chicken confit and a spoonful of the tomato garlic confit with the balsamic and oil that have accumulated Serve immediately.