Braised Chicken and Leeks

This recipe is dedicated to my good friend Keith, who cooked it for his children. He served it with mashed potatoes.

Cue Winds of Change by Scorpions, lighters at the ready, go!

This is for you, brother!

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SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 50 MINUTES

Ingredients

4 good-sized chicken thighs
2 leeks
2 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
2 cups of chicken stock – make your own or buy at Stop&Shop
2 tbsps of butter
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Method

Prep

Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C.

Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry. Set it aside. You don’t need it yet. The earlier you do this in the process, the better; you want that chicken skin bone dry.

Rinse the leeks, remove any funky-looking leaves, and cut the bottom inch or so from both ends. Slice lengthwise, and chop into 1/2″ pieces. Rinse in a colander.

Mince the garlic.

Cooking

Pan time!

Get a large frying pan going over medium-low heat. Get the oil in. If it starts to smoke, man, that’s way too hot. Low and slow is the game we’re playing here.

You need ears for the next bit:

Liberally season the chicken with salt and pepper, and gently lay skin-side down in the pan. It should bubble, and sizzle, but not crackle or spit.

Leave it alone for nine or ten minutes. Resist the temptation to hurry it along by turning up the heat.

Flip it when the skin turns an attractive pale golden brown: more Goldie Hawn’s tresses than George Hamilton’s ballbag.

Cook for an additional five minutes and remove from the pan.

Chuck the garlic into the pan for a little minute, then add the leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Add stock and soften for a minute or two.

Spoon the softened leeks into a 9×13 oven pan. If you have a leftover turkey roasting pan from Christmas, that’ll do just fine.

Cut the ends off two lemons, then cut them in half. Make wells for the lemons and set them amongst the leeks.

Artfully place the chicken atop the leek mixture.

Cook for thirty minutes or so. When the lemon starts to burn, it’s about done.

Serving

When it’s out of the oven, remove the chicken and squeeze the lemon with tongs, or a pair of forks, or spoons, or whatever. Give the leeks a bit of a stir, and plate. Lay the chicken on top, and eat.

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Notes