C – This is one of my favorite go-to dishes to make.
It’s a Jamie Oliver recipe I tried a year ago. I still love it. In the Be Mindful. Be Human. kitchen, we always seem to have chicken on hand. When we don’t know what to make, we usually turn to making something with chicken.
I was getting sick and tired of roasted chicken. Jim roasts one almost every week. I am even more tired of eating chicken salad made from left-over roast chicken. Chunks of dry chicken breast, slathered in some kind of dressing. I was really over it.
So when Jim suggested that I make something with chicken, Jamie’s recipe came to mind.
I love this recipe. It’s simple with just a few ingredients. I love the leeks and mushroom combination. Leeks seem to make everything a little more gourmet. They are not as strong as onions, but still have a bit of a sweet onion taste to them.
I usually hate chicken breast. But, I used chicken breast in this recipe. That’s what the recipe called for. I even liked the chicken breast with this stew. It’s so tender and juicy. It has a thick, flavorful sauce that is well balanced. It takes about an hour. It is so good with rice, creamy mashed potatoes or just by itself.
| Chicken and Leek Stew |
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced.
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1½ cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
- 1 Tbsp thyme, chopped
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Soak sliced leeks in a water bath to remove any dirt. Lift leeks out of the water and dry them.
- In a saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the leeks and cook over moderate heat, stirring until softened, about 7 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes.
- Scrape the leeks and mushrooms onto a plate.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the saute pan. Add the chicken and cook over moderate heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
- Add the chicken stock and thyme and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 minute.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the plate with the vegetables.
- Simmer the stock over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Return the chicken, leeks and mushrooms to the skillet and simmer over low heat until warmed through, about 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, blend the sour cream with the mustard and stir into the stew. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Season the stew with salt and pepper and serve.
- Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
- Enjoy!
I couldn’t wait to share my finding with Jim. He approved.
This usually serves four. but Jim had seconds. So, it only served three for us.
Adapted from: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/simplest-chicken-and-leek-stew
We’re on the same wavelength again with the leeks and we’re definitely adding your latest recipe to the to-do list. Never can have too many options for chicken. The Chef made a simple vine tomato and leek saute last night w/olive oil, garlic, seasoned sea salt, a pinch of our new favorite fennel pollen (a la T’s Kitchen) and pepper, not cooked too long. Had it w/worcestershire-marinated chicken over brown & wild rice. Then we watched Meryl Streep in Iron Lady about Maggie Thatcher. I mention that because she reminds me a lot of Julia Chi–well, duh. Just remembered that Streep also pulled that one off with great aplomb. Save the LIVER!
@ Gloria
Simple and delicious!
This was tasty and easy. I was actually looking for something in a more central American direction, along the lines of pollo con arroz, but happened to have all these ingredients. I started with some bacon (that NEVER hurts!) and used some ancho chili powder, oregano, and cumin instead of thyme and mustard (kept the sour cream, though). Oh, and I shredded the chicken to make it more stew-y.