This recipe for creamy chicken with braised leeks and carrots is utterly delicious and a dish I plan to make repeatedly. The leeks cook until melting consistency and the creamy sauce is packed with citrus, rosemary and thyme flavours. It’s the perfect easy weeknight supper meal but is fancy enough for casual entertaining.
Two of my Cape Town Foodie friends – Mish from Gourmet style catering and Emma (a food stylist), have started a meal plan side hustle and have put together weekly recipe plans for families of 2 or 4 people. You can buy them weekly or subscribe monthly for a nominal fee. Each week you will be sent a new batch of tasty, easy and delicious recipes to try. They include shopping lists and ideas to adapt to your preference. At a time where we are cooking most of our meals at home and the desire to keep things new feels like a burden, they offer fresh solutions. You can click on this link to find out more. A vegan meal plan is coming in 2 weeks.
This creamy chicken is inspired by one of their recipes. I used the Maryland thigh and leg cut because that is what I had on hand but would choose 8 thighs if I didn’t have this as it’s my favourite cut of chicken. You could also butcher a whole bird for this recipe and that’s something I love to do too and use the carcass to make chicken stock. I happened to have a small bottle of freshly squeezed naartjie juice from Babylonstoren which was delicious, but orange juice was in the original recipe.
You could fry off the chicken, leeks and carrots and then transfer to a large lidded pot / dutch oven to complete the cooking if you don’t have a suitable heavy-based lidded cast iron dish in the right size to do it all in. You can cook this on the stovetop but I generally prefer to do my braises in the oven and reduce all risk of the bottom of the sauce catching. I’ve given both cooking method options.
PrintCreamy chicken with braised leeks & carrots
The most delicious creamy chicken with braised leeks & carrots recipe with a orange, rosemary & thyme.
- Yield: Serves 4 1x
Ingredients
8 pieces of chicken, bone-in and skin on (8 thighs, or 4 legs and 4 thighs), or one whole bird cut into 8 pieces
3 Tbsp olive oil
5–6 medium /large leeks, washed and trimmed, cut into discs
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into rounds on the bias
2 long sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and very finely chopped (just over 1 Tbsp)
3 thyme stalks (can keep whole)
50gms butter
3 Tbsp flour
250ml (1 cup) orange juice (or naartjie / clementine juice)
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
250ml (1 cup) cream
1 Tbsp honey
2 sachets liquid chicken stock – (or cubes or pots)
Serve with rice (brown or white basmati)
Instructions
Fry the chicken pieces skin side down until brown on both sides. Set aside. In the same pan add the leeks, carrots, thyme and rosemary and fry over low heat until softened. About 10 minutes.
Add the butter and when it’s melted, sprinkle over the flour and stir to coat and cook slightly. Add the orange/naartjie juice and deglaze the pan. Scrape any browned bits that may have got stuck on the bottom. Then add the milk, cream, honey and stock and bring it to a bubble. Add the chicken pieces back in (with any juices) and cook for 25 – 30 minutes with the lid on, on the lowest setting. Stir occassionally to ensure the sauce doesnt catch at the bottom of the pan. Or you could pop it in the oven @ 180C / 350F for 40 minutes
While the chicken is cooking make your rice to serve. You will need around 1 – 1.5 cups of rice for 4 people.
Keywords: creamy chicken, leeks, carrots, rosemary, orange, thyme
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21 Comments
Which fruit juice would you suggest to replace citrus for a citrus allergy? Apple, pineapple, litchi?
Hi Carolie I wouldn’t replace it with any other juice as the citrus gives it the acidity I would find another recipe or just leave it out.
This sounds incredible! I am in the USA, what is an equivalent measurement to a sachet? Tablespoon??? Thank You.
Hi Janet it is about 1 Tbsp of liquid stock concentrate – so enough to make 250ml / 1 cup of stock. So whatever equivalent. A good small stock cube would do the trick too.
Oh my god this looks so yummy !!!!
my husband absolutely loved this dish. I found it a bit too rich. I think I might reverse the milk and the cream quantities and up the citrus.
I am going to give this a try tonight!
Can you tell me what % milk you recommend and also which % cream?
Hi Elyss – it really doesn’t matter. Any cream and any milk. Depending on how indulgent you want to go. I only ever use skim as thats all I have at home and generally single cream.
The creamy chicken looks so delicious and very appealing, I really love chicken dishes. Excited to try this recipe this weekend <3
Hi Sara, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do
Hi Heather, yes swapping the milk for cream would make it less rich.
A delicious well-balanced dish! Thank you. I made it last night, served with brown rice and we both loved it. Will make it again soon, maybe add a green salad, but it’s a perfect dish on its own.
Im so glad you enjoyed it Suzanne 🙂
so one cup of stock is the equivalent for this recipe?
HI Aly. The recipe calls for just the stock concentrate (cube or pots or liquid (2Tbsp concentrate). and not actual liquid stock.
I make this recipe often. My family loves it and it’s good enough for entertaining also. I replaced leeks with onions and add just a little bit of turmeric for colour. What a hit! Thank you.
Hi Thessa, I’m so glad you love this recipe, it is a real crowd-pleaser
Hi Sam, tried this recipe tonight for the first time! Absolutely delicious and got rid of all the cream hanging around from Christmas. Thanks for the share. x
Hi Carma – I am so glad you loved the recipe as much as I do.
if it gets too thick ( i halved this recipe since only had 4 thighs) what should I use? broth, water, more orange juice?
Hi Aly, you can thin it down with any of those things.