This Creamy Chicken and Leeks recipe combines juicy chicken thighs and tender leeks in a deliciously creamy, flavour-packed sauce. All made in one pan!
Why this recipe works
- Flavour right from the start – Browning the seasoned chicken thighs gives them a gorgeous golden crust, whilst leaving behind plenty of flavour in the pan to build the leek sauce.
- The leeks get the attention they deserve – Gently softening them in butter and the leftover chicken fat brings out their natural sweetness. They’re the heart of the sauce, so it’s worth taking your time with them.
- A creamy sauce that’s full of flavour – During testing, I found that the sauce needed a little something extra to really shine. A touch more Dijon mustard made all the difference, whilst using more stock than cream keeps it creamy without being overly rich.
Ingredient Notes
The awesome thing about this recipe is that you only need a handful of simple ingredients, but they all come together to create something truly quite special. The full quantities are down in the recipe card, but I just want to touch on a few key ingredients:
- Chicken thighs work beautifully – Thighs are fattier and more flavourful than breast, so I much prefer them for this recipe. They add so much flavour to the sauce.
- Stick with heavy/double cream – Because we’re also adding stock, I recommend using a full-fat cream to ensure the sauce still has a lovely richness. A lower-fat cream could leave the sauce too thin and lacking in flavour.
Preparing the chicken
My number 1 tip when preparing boneless thighs is to make sure there’s no connecting strings of meat that would cause them to curl in the pan. You’ll want to place them smooth side down, and slice any bits of meat that attach the two ends. From there, you can gently pound any thicker parts of the thighs to ensure they cook through evenly.
When it comes to frying the thighs, you’ll notice some light charring/bits of flavour (i.e. fond) building up in the pan; this is added flavour and will be incorporated into the sauce!
Process shots: season both sides of the thighs (photos 1&2), add to pan (photo 3), fry then remove (photo 4).
Using chicken breast
You will lose out on flavour, but you could use 2 large breasts and horizontally slice them through the centre to make 4 cutlets. From there, just season and fry as usual, keeping in mind they’ll cook a little faster than thighs.
Creamy Leek Sauce
The sauce shouldn’t take long to come together; just make sure you don’t rush it. The leeks need to properly soften and develop flavour, and the sauce needs to thicken enough to coat the leeks and chicken.
Two really important steps that will add a huge amount of ‘bonus’ flavour to the sauce:
- Excess chicken fat – don’t pour out the leftover fat from frying the chicken. This is used to fry the leeks and works with the butter to make the most irresistible leeks.
- Chicken resting juices – as the chicken rests, a pool of juices will form on the plate. This is pure flavour, so make sure you stir it through the sauce at the end.
Process shots: melt butter (photo 1), add leeks, garlic and thyme (photo 2), fry (photo 3), add stock, cream and Dijon (photo 4), simmer then stir in resting juices (photo 5), add chicken (photo 6).
Serving Suggestions
To film this recipe, I served the chicken over a bed of mash, which is probably my favourite way to enjoy it (the way it soaks up all that gorgeous leek sauce is almost too much the bear). Here are a few other options too:
- Mashed Potatoes – My Extra Creamy Mashed Potatoes work beautifully.
- Rice – A simple bed of fluffy rice is another great way to soak up the sauce without overpowering the leeks.
- Crusty Bread – Perfect for mopping up every last bit of sauce! My Roasted Garlic Bread would work nicely too.
- Something Green – A simple Rocket Salad helps balance out the creamy sauce.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this creamy chicken and leeks shall we?!
How to make Chicken and Leeks (Full Recipe & Video)
Creamy Chicken and Leeks (One Pan)
Equipment
- Small Pot or Bowl (for seasoning mix)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Pan & Tongs
- Large Plate & Foil (to rest chicken)
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3/4 tsp EACH: Paprika, Salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper
- 1.3lb / 600g boneless skinless Chicken Thighs (see notes)
- drizzle of Olive Oil
Creamy Leek Sauce
- 2 tbsp / 30g Unsalted Butter
- 1lb / 500g whole Leeks, weighed before trimming (see notes)
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves, finely diced (see notes)
- 3/4 cup / 180ml Chicken Stock
- 1/2 cup / 120ml Heavy/Double Cream
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
Instructions
- In a small pot or bowl, combine the seasoning mix. Evenly coat both sides of the chicken thighs.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the thighs. Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned on the outside and just cooked through the centre (safe internal temp is 165F/74C). Remove from the pan and place on a plate loosely covered with foil. Leave the excess fat in the pan.
- Lower the heat to medium, then melt the butter. Add the leeks, garlic and thyme and gently fry until the leeks are soft and golden. Take your time to sweat down the leeks to allow them to properly soften.
- Pour in the stock and cream, then stir in the mustard. Simmer, stirring regularly, until the sauce begins to reduce and thicken (approx 5 mins or so). If needed, continue simmering and stirring until the sauce thickens further. It will be somewhat loose, but shouldn't be watery.
- Stir in the resting juices from the chicken and simmer for another minute to re-thicken. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed, then add the thighs to warm them back through.
- Serve up and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
