Creamy Chicken And Leeks
sandravalvassori.com
The luscious sauce in this Creamy Chicken and Leeks is pure heaven. Easy enough for a weeknight, this is a comforting dish the whole family will love. Perfect with a mound of fluffy rice or mashed potatoes.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed
- 10 ounces button cremini mushrooms (or chopped if large)
- 3 medium sized leeks, washed, halved and sliced into half-moons (white and light green parts only)
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley, to finish
Instructions
- Pat chicken thighs with paper towels to get as much moisture off as possible. Season both sides with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet that has a lid over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin side down in the hot skillet and let sear undisturbed, for at least 6 to 8 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and golden-brown. Flip and let cook 1 minute. Transfer chicken to a holding plate.
- Add mushrooms to the pan and cook undisturbed until slightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir and cook 2 minutes longer. Remove to a small plate. If the mushrooms soaked up all the chicken fat, drizzle in a little more oil (butter would also be good). Reduce heat to medium and stir in the leeks and sliced garlic. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add thyme leaves and wine and let simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until liquid reduces by half, about 1 minute.
- Whisk mustard with broth, then pour into pan and bring liquid to a gentle boil. Nestle chicken, skin side up, into the pan and pour in any accumulated juices from the plate. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.
- Stir cream into the pan, increase heat to medium and allow sauce to thicken slightly, about 2-3 minutes. Taste sauce and add a little more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Nestle chicken back into the pan, then remove from heat. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
Use a large skillet: If cooking 8 chicken thighs, you will need a 12-inch skillet. Anything smaller might crowd the meat and the sauce won't thicken properly.
Cook the chicken in batches: If you look closely at the photo of the browned chicken thighs, you will notice some look more golden brown than others. That's because I get lazy and brown them all at the same time. For more evenly browned chicken pieces, sear them in two batches.
Prep ahead: While this is easy enough to cook on a weeknight, it also makes an impressive dinner for company. Bonus, you can also make it ahead. Cook the whole thing in advance, without adding the heavy cream. Let it cool, then place in the fridge, covered (I leave it in the pan it was cooked in). Gently reheat it on the stove, adding 1 cup broth. Once the chicken has warmed through, remove it to a platter and stir in the cream. Cook over medium heat until sauce slightly thickens. Nestle the chicken back in, heat a few more minutes, garnish with parsley and serve.