Chicken with Leeks and Creamy Mustard Sauce

Today is a big day in history for Oregon because marijuana is now legal.  In other Oregon news, Portland was named one of America's best food cities.  I definitely have to agree, the amount of amazing restaurants popping up left and right makes it hard for me to keep up with trying all of their delicious food without going broke.  Last night my boyfriend and I went to the Doug Fir and saw Active Child, his first album came out in 2011 and he is amazing.  He plays harp and keyboards in his band and toured with M83 who is one of my favorite bands of all time, if you get a chance check him out.  I use to go to so many concerts and last night made me realize again how much I miss it, doesn't help getting older and wanting to just relax at home more often ;)  Anyway, I adapted this SUPER DELICIOUS recipe last night and wish I had leftovers.  Enjoy.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
2 lbs Chicken drumsticks
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large leeks, washed and cut in half and sliced into 1 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup half-n-half
3 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter


The Process
1.  Marinate the chicken with lemon juice, salt and pepper for about half an hour (while you get on with the rest of the prep.)

2.  Heat 1 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp butter in large non stick pan with cover and then brown the drumsticks on all sides on medium high heat. Remove and keep aside and sprinkle on paprika.

3.  Lower the heat. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the same pan and add the garlic. When the garlic just starts to soften, add in the onion, leeks, and mushrooms and stir well and cover the pan. Remove cover and stir after 3-4 minutes – the reason to cover is to get onions and leek to soften up in the steam without getting brown.

4.  Keep cooking for about 10 minutes or so, remove about 1/3 to ½ of the onion and leek mixture from the pan and keep aside.

5.  Add the broth to the pan and stir in the mustard. Increase the heat and let the stock come to a quick boil.

6.  Reduce the heat to low, add in the chicken and sherry and cover the pan. Let the chicken cook for about 30 minutes.

7.  Add back the leeks removed earlier and let it cook uncovered for another 10 minutes or so till the chicken is completely cooked and sauce is of nice consistency.


8.  Gradually add the cream, a bit at a time. Let the sauce simmer on the lowest heat for about 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as necessary.