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Braised Chicken with Creamy Leeks and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- 6 chicken leg quarters
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 leeks halved lengthwise, thoroughly rinsed and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 Vidalia onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 12 ounces baby bella mushrooms scrubbed and left whole if small, quartered if large
- ⅓ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves picked from stems and stems discarded
- ½ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Cayenne powder to taste
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
:Cook the chicken:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high in a large skillet until very hot. Cook the chicken, skin side down, without moving for 5-6 minutes until well browned. Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave the skillet on medium-high heat. Note: You may need to cook the chicken in batches for even browning.
Prepare the mushrooms and leeks:
- Add the onions and mushrooms to the hot skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Add the leeks and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the white balsamic vinegar and the chicken stock to the skillet of vegetables and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Roast the chicken:
- Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large roasting pan. Arrange the chicken legs, skin-side up, on top of the vegetables. Transfer to the oven and cook for 30–45 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165ºF in the thickest part of the chicken leg.
Finish the sauce:
- Transfer the chicken legs to a serving plate, return the roasting pan with the sauce to a burner on the stove, and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced a bit. Stir in the thyme and crème fraîche and cook until thickened, an additional 3-4 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook until bright green and cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Taste and season accordingly, and add a dash of cayenne powder if desired. Remove from heat.
To serve:
- Add a few ladles of the sauce to bowls and serve with a chicken leg on top. Enjoy!