I have debated posting this dish, but in the end taste has won out over looks. This is an ugly, boring-looking dish. That almost makes the fact of how flavorful it is even more surprising and enjoyable. Each time I would take a taste while I was cooking it, I was always caught off guard by the richness of the flavors that hit my mouth. I called my daughter over, gave her a parsnip and she was equally as surprised.
The parsnips, leeks and sage all came right out of my garden, freshly harvested. They were beautiful, even if my leeks were thin (so I used more, but left the recipe at the amount for ‘normal-sized’ leeks).
I was unable to find skin-on, bone-in thighs, so I had to use boneless, skinless. That added to the drabness of the dish’s looks, but reduced the fat without any noticeable loss of flavor.
We enjoyed this as part of our holiday meal, but it is very simple and could be done any night. It definitely goes well with rice. So…don’t let the looks stop you, this is worth a try!
Chicken with Parsnips and Leeks
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 lb skinless bone-in chicken thighs
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 leeks, white and pale green parts thinly sliced (2 cups) (from the garden)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (from the garden)
10 fresh sage leaves (from the garden)
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups cooked rice, for serving
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Cook until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes, and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and cook leeks until tender, about 4 minutes.
Add vinegar and scrape up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add parsnips, sage, stock, and seared chicken and its juices and bring to a boil.
Cover and transfer to oven. Braise until chicken and parsnips are very tender, about 50 minutes. Serve over rice. Enjoy!
Serves 4
Andrea's Garden Cooking 