Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Leeks is the perfect cold weather comfort food.
Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Leeks
Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and LeeksNothing makes a cold winter night more bearable than a hot and hearty meal made in the oven. Some dishes I love to prepare in the winter are Braised Brisket with Potatoes and Vegetables, Turmeric Braised Chicken with Beets and Leeks, and Baked Chicken Enchiladas.
When it comes to chicken, some many people prefer breasts, but personally I’m a thigh girl all the way. Chicken breasts of course have their place – as breaded cutlets or in chicken salad, but when it comes to braised dishes, dark meat is my first choice because it’s more versatile and forgiving, and bonus, more affordable.
This braised chicken dish starts on the stove, then finishes in the oven, so you’ll want to use a heavy oven proof skillet or dutch oven with a fitted lid. First step is browning the chicken, then you’ll want to saute your aromatics and vegetables. Then the whole dish goes in the oven until the chicken is tender and delicious.
Tommy loved this dish, and asked what made this taste so good. It’s the leeks I told him, and he said we should use them in more dishes. I agree, leeks add something special to dishes, once you know how to cook with them you’ll want to cook with them more. Pictured above, the chicken is served with raw kale tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.
How To Make Braised Chicken
How To Cook With Leeks
Leeks are delicious and healthy, but it’s important to get rid of the dirt trapped between the layers. You don’t use the whole leek, you just keep the white and light pale green part.
- Cut off the dark green part of the leek, trimming to the part where the color is a pale green.
- Cut off the root end then slice the stalk the lengthwise.
- Run leeks under cold water, separating the layers slightly to help remove any dirt.
- Place the leeks in a bowl of cool water, to let and dirt sink to the bottom, then strain, dry and slice.
More chicken thigh recipes I love:
- Baked Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato
- Asian Glazed Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Baked Apple Cider Chicken and Cabbage
- Chicken Thighs with Shallots in Red Wine Vinegar
Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Leeks
Ingredients
- 2 large or 3 medium leeks, whites only
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- olive oil spray
- 8 pieces bone-in, skin-off chicken thighs, trimmed, about 40 ounces
- 1Â tablespoon butter
- 8Â ounces white mushrooms, quartered
- 2 tablespoons flour, or gluten-free flour mix
- 1 cup chicken broth or water with chicken bouillon
- 3 tablespoons sherry
Instructions
- Rinse the leeks well and separate the layers to make sure there is no dirt. Slice into 1/4-inch thick half moons.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Mix together 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the paprika and season all sides of the chicken.
- Heat a large Dutch oven or oven safe skillet on high heat. Once hot spritz with olive oil and brown the chicken, in batches on all sides, about 5 minutes on each side, adjusting the heat as needed.
- Set aside and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter. When the butter starts to foam, add the leeks and cook, stirring until soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon salt, stir and cook covered 5 minutes, stirring until they release their juices.
- Sprinkle the flour over them, stir in the chicken broth and the sherry and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the Dutch oven, spooning the mushroom-sherry sauce over them and cook in the oven, covered, for 40 to 50 minutes, until cooked through and tender.
This dinner was beyond delicious. Â The sauce was so great! Â Have not cooked with leeks before. Â Keep posting awesome recipes!! Â ThisÂ
Absolutely delicious, I followed the recipe exactly other than adding a bit more salt (1/4 tsp) along with the broth and sherry, and had outstanding results.   I think this would be a great dish for company, the gravy was  perfect.  I had been concerned that the amount of liquid wound not be enough to braise the chicken but it was fine.  Highly recommended!!!!
I have tried this recipe in the past and it’s absolutely delicious, today I tried it in the instant pot pressure cooker and it was so delicious, it took about 30 minutes total, I sautéed the chicken then the leeks and mushrooms and then I pressure cooked for 15 minutes,  I freely sprinkled the paprika and also added some onion and garlic powder,  so easy for me as I have back issues and do not have to stand and watch it.
I also forgot to add that I used boneless thighs because that’s what I had on hand, next time when I use bone and I will give it a little more time under pressure.
This is INCREDIBLE!!! Did not have sherry on hand, used marsala- otherwise all just as written. DELICIOUS. Will make again and again-most tender chicken, and sauce and mushrooms with the leeks were all so flavorful. Â Reminds us of yummy chicken dishes made at a local Italian restaurant here in NJ. Except probably 1000+ less calories! Thank you for another GREAT one!!!!
Delicious! I love so many skinny taste recipies and don’t leave comments… however, this one was so good I felt the need to tell the world! Simple yet so flavorful. Followed the directions except used less chicken thighs (we didn’t have 8 on hand), used Gluten Free Flour (BobS red mill 1:1), and used smoked paprika because we were out of regular. So tasty! I could eat the gravy with a spoon (although I won’t).Â
I really want to make this dish but I don’t have an oven proof Dutch oven. Is there another way I can make it?
Do you have a cast iron Lodge pan w/lid? You can also use a roasting pan, prepping as indicated, then the chicken broth can deglaze the pan which will release all of the stuck bits. Cover with tin foil and bake. Chicken thighs are very forgiving. There might be some stuck ingredients once finished but it shouldn’t be too bad.
This is so late but thank you!