In the end it was just over 3 hours at 90C. The oven is a fan-forced so i think it may be a bit fast (I blind baked a tart shell earlier and that came out more brown than desirable). So I think around 2.5 hours and then checking could be the go. However the meat was moist and juicy- when I was frying them to crisp the skin they were falling apart. The cliche "you could cut the meat with a spoon" was very applicable. Though my one was one of the ones near the surface and there was a suggestion that the meat was a little stringy. However you could not really complain about the texture. Though the cooking medium was duck fat and olive oil, the flavours of the marinade came through: bay leaves, pepper corns, thyme, salt, garlic, sherry and verjuice. I made a sauce of red wine, shallots, quince paste veal jus and butter. This was a good combo...you didn't notice the apparent richness and the red wine and chicken was complimentary. Next time I do it, I might throw in some citrus into the marinade and serve it up with a lemon butter sauce. And instead of mashed potato, try it with polenta or even a risotto (say a prawn risotto).
And I think it could be solid enough for a main. I served it as an entree; by the time the cheeses arrived after dessert the diners were struggling a bit.
Also the Morris Grand Muscat is quite a good drop. It goes nicely with a good cheddar.
