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Braised and Glazed Chicken and Leeks

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 large or 6 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 or 4 large leeks (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1/2 cup white wine or water
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  1. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or large pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Pat the chicken thighs dry and sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper.
  3. When the oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down and season the other side with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed until the skin is browned and releases easily from the pan, about 10 minutes. Turn and cook the bottom for a couple minutes, then transfer the pieces to a plate with a slotted spoon.
  4. Trim the leeks and halve them lengthwise; cut the white and light green parts into 2-inch pieces. Rinse in a colander under cold water to remove grit; drain.
  5. Pour off some of the fat from the skillet if you like; return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup wine and 1/2 cup stock or water to the skillet, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Add the leeks and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  6. Return the chicken to the pot skin side up, pouring in any accumulated juices from the plate. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily but gently. Cover and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the leeks are tender, about 15 minutes.
  7. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate with the slotted spoon. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and stir to melt; taste and adjust the seasoning and serve the chicken on top of the leeks.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

Braised and Glazed Chicken and Shallots Substitute about 1 pound shallots for the leeks; trim the ends and slice them thickly.

Braised and Glazed Chicken and Brussels Sprouts Use 1 pound Brussels sprouts instead of the leeks. Trim the bottoms and halve the sprouts if they’re big.

Braised and Glazed Chicken and Parsnips Use parsnips instead of the leeks—or half and half! Trim and peel the parsnips, then cut into bite-sized chunks.