Chicken with Leeks Recipe

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Servings:

Imagine a perfectly crisp baked chicken with leeks sitting on a lemon and white wine bed. As the lemon and leeks cook with the wine, the intense flavor and caramelization of the two infuse the chicken with flavor while keeping it moist and juicy.

Ingredients

4 chicken leg quarters
2 leeks, white part only thinly sliced
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1 lemon , juice
3 garlic, peeled and hard end removed
1 cup white wine

US - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven at 375°.
Cover the bottom of the roasting pan with the thinly sliced lemons and add the thinly sliced leeks over it.
Pat the chicken dry, salt and pepper all over, Place the chicken on top of the leeks. Salt and pepper generously. Add the garlic cloves, juice from 1 lemon and the white wine around the chicken.
Place in the warm oven and lower the heat to 350°.
Check while cooking to make sure that the lemons and leeks do not burn and baste the chicken with juices every 15-20 minutes. Add more wine if needed.
Once the chicken is nice and golden, 45 to 50 minutes and no more juices are running when pierced, remove from the oven and let sit covered for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with the leeks and lemons relish.

Equipment

Large roasting pan, The kitchen's best friend and one pan that gets a lot of use. High side and, my favorite, enamel cast iron as it distributes the heat evenly

Notes

Clean the leeks well: Dirt loves to hide between the layers, so give them a thorough rinse before cooking.

Pat the chicken dry, as this helps the skin become beautifully golden in the oven.

Use a wine you enjoy drinking: A dry white wine such as Chardonnay works beautifully and gives the sauce much better flavor.

Do not skip the lemon slices: As they roast under the chicken, they perfume the leeks and pan juices with a wonderful brightness.

Baste as it cooks. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken a few times during roasting to keep it moist and flavorful.

Let it rest: Give the chicken 5 minutes before serving so the juices settle back into the meat.

Save those pan juices, which are one of the best parts of the dish, so spoon plenty over the chicken and whatever side you serve with it.

Nutrition

Giangi's Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.