Heartbreak Chicken (Tarragon Chicken with Creamy Leeks)
This is the dish I’d serve to anyone going through a tough time.
Olivia GalletlyCook
- prepare
- cook
- 5 servings
- Easy
Caption:Olivia Galletly's Heartbreak Chicken from The Hungry Cook.Photo credit:The Hungry Cook by Olivia Galletly, published by Allen & Unwin
It’s the most comforting thing I know how to cook and a meal I turn to whenever I need cheering up. I like to serve the chicken with fettuccine, crusty fresh bread or mashed potato.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 30g salted butter
- 5 chicken thighs, skin on
- 1 leek, trimmed and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon or ¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves, loosely packed
- 3 tablespoons white wine
- 125ml cream
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan
- sea salt
- cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350°F) regular bake.
- Heat the oil and 20g of the butter in an ovenproof dish over a medium heat.
- Season the chicken thighs then place them skin-side down in the pan. Fry until the skins are golden and crisp. Turn them over and quickly brown the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside. They don’t need to be cooked through at this point.
- Reduce the heat to low-medium and add the leek to the pan. Fry for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Once softened, add the garlic and half the tarragon. Pour over the wine, bring to a simmer then remove from the heat.
- Put the chicken thighs skin side up on top of the leeks. Top with small blobs of the remaining butter and the rest of the tarragon, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 minutes.
- In a jug, mix together the cream and grated parmesan. Season with a little salt and a good grind of pepper. Pour around the chicken thighs then bake for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste if necessary.
