creamy crispy leek chicken thighs
Ok I’ll start by saying this recipe was incredibly difficult to photograph but incredibly easy to make. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover here, you’ll just have to trust me. This is a recipe I developed at the height of leek season last year. I’ve made it so many times and tweaked it slightly but it’s just so dang good I had to reshare. It’s really unique and impressive, but so simple. Perfect meal in my books. It was semi-inspired by the flavors of a potato leek soup, and my desire for a an incredible but simple sauce to go with a crispy chicken thigh. And of course as always, I needed a crunch factor so we use the entire leek and crisp up the green tops for a crispy salty garnish.
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
SERVES: 2
Grocery List + Printable version
Chef’s knife
Cutting board (not my exact one but very similar)
Cast iron pan
Kitchen tweezers
Small fry pan (optional)
3 large leeks
6 skin-on boneless chicken thighs
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup neutral oil for frying
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1/3 cup heavy cream
Lemon
Start your chicken. Preheat oven to 400F. Salt chicken on both sides. Place chicken skin side down on a cold cast iron pan and add to medium-high heat. Cook until skin is extremely golden (about 10 minutes). Remove from pan - it will not be fully cooked and that's what we want. Leave the rendered fat in the pan!
Get your leek on. Cut green tops and root end off leeks and slice the middle white portion lengthwise to fit your pan, cutting off both ends. Thinly dice the green tops. Wash and dry both parts well. Add long middle strips to your hot frying pan over medium-high heat (you should have fat leftover fat from the chicken but if it’s feeling dry add a splash of oil). Press down with a pot lid and cook for 2 - 3 minutes until slightly golden/charred. One cooked, add 1/4 cup wine and a good pinch of salt. Add chicken thighs back on top of leeks, skin side up, and place in oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.
OPTIONAL: Prep your crispy top. Add a 1/2 inch layer of oil to a small frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add your leek tops and cook until golden brown - about 3 minutes. Remove from oil, place on paper towel to drain, and sprinkle with salt.
Finish your creamy leek sauce. Once your chicken is cooked, remove from pan along with the leeks and set aside. Carefully chop leeks into 1/2 inch slices, and return to pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup cream and bring to a simmer. Add 1/4 cup parmesan and a splash of lemon juice and remove from heat. Place chicken back into pan to serve, or just serve onto plates with sauce drizzled over chicken thighs, and top with crispy leek bits.
Perfecting the chicken: I highly recommend salting your chicken thighs in advance if you can (like up to 24 hours), then patting them dry before placing on the pan. The cold pan makes all the difference too so be sure to follow the steps above for the most fabulous crisp skin thighs you’ve ever had.
What to serve it with: I love to serve this with crispy potatoes and a simple salad using balsamic glaze to balance out the richness of the cream sauce. I’ll be sharing my potato recipe shown in the photo later this week! This would also be great over some mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, with some roasted carrots or broccoli or even steamed green beans.
Storing + reheating: store the sauce separately from the chicken. Reheat the chicken in the air fryer or in a fry pan. Reheat the sauce in the microwave. Store crispy tops in a loosely sealed container on the counter/at room temp.
Make it gluten free: ✅
Where to find boneless, skin-on chicken thighs: if you know, let me know! I manually debone my thighs. Feel free to leave the bone in here but I prefer to do it beforehand so I don’t have to deal with it when eating. I’ll be sharing a how-to video for this on Sunday’s dinner, sorted.
Anything else? Drop a comment below if you have any questions, and don’t forget to let me know if you make it!
Made it! It was a hit. I had really large leeks so only used two. Forgot to put in the Parmesan so added on top after. Still tasty! Served with crispy roast purple potatoes and a salad as recommended + a crisp white wine.