Braised Chicken and Leeks

Every time I went into the refrigerator, there they were - leeks. Staring at me. Saying, "Please. Use us." I had bought a bunch of them for a different recipe that only called for one. So, lonely they sat in the produce bin until I was looking for inspiration for dinner one evening and finally answered their call.

I hit Google and this was the first recipe that popped up, and for good reason. It's chicken, leeks, shallots, garlic, chicken stock, and wine. Yum. Add it with the fact that prep work is easy and it cooks for an hour, getting nice and delicious while you do laundry, cleaning, or picking up toys.

I adapted this recipe slightly from the chop and drop that it originally was to build a little more flavor. More flavor is always a good thing. This chicken was gobbled up. I served it over rice, but mashed potatoes would be wonderful as well. Anything to sop up the crazy-delicious sauce. This Momma was tickled pink when this pot was cleaned out.

Braised Chicken and Leeks
slightly adapted from Saturday Nights

Ingredients

5 pieces of chicken thighs
3 - 4 leeks, cut into two-inch pieces and halved
8 shallots, diced
Head of garlic, cloves separated and skins removed
3/4 cup of dry white wine
1 cup of chicken stock
1 tbsp of fresh thyme
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, drizzle olive oil in bottom of pan. Saute shallots and leeks for approximately 5 minutes to develop color and release flavor. Remove from pan, set aside.

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add to Dutch oven skin side down, cooking for 10 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add wine and chicken stock to Dutch oven. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spoon or spatula. Add thyme, garlic cloves, and sauteed shallots and leeks. Bring to a boil, then add chicken to the mixture.

Place into Dutch oven and cook uncovered for 1 hour.

Serve with garlic bread. Enjoy!

Hey Momma, I'm Hungry!