Chicken Legs with Leeks & Rice

📝 Ingredients

• 4 skin-on chicken legs (about 250 g each)
• 3 leeks (about 200 g each once trimmed)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 chicken stock cube + 300 ml hot water
• 1 tsp dried thyme + 1 bay leaf
• 100 ml reduced-fat single cream, 15 % fat
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 300 g long-grain rice
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Casserole dish with lid (about 24 cm)
• Large saucepan
• Colander
• Chopping board and knife
• Kitchen tongs
• Kitchen paper

📖 Steps

1. Take the chicken legs out of the fridge 15 min before cooking, pat them dry with kitchen paper, then season with salt and pepper on both sides. Trim the roots and dark green tops off the leeks, split them in half lengthways and rinse them, fanning out the layers to wash away any soil.
2. Slice the leeks into 1 cm half-moons and chop the garlic. Heat the casserole dish over a medium heat, without any fat, and place the chicken legs in it skin side down. Leave them to brown for 10 min without touching them: the skin should be deep golden and release on its own.
3. Turn the chicken legs over with tongs, cook for 3 min on the other side, then set aside on a plate. Remove the rendered fat, leaving just one tablespoon in the casserole dish: pour the excess into a bowl, never down the sink.
4. Add the leeks, garlic and a pinch of salt to the casserole dish. Soften them for 8 min over a medium heat, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until tender and glossy, without letting them brown.
5. Dissolve the stock cube in 300 ml hot water and pour it over the leeks with the thyme and bay leaf. Put the chicken legs back on top, skin side up and out of the liquid so it stays golden. Bring to a simmer, cover and braise for 35 min over a low heat.
6. About 20 min before the end of braising, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the rice and cook at a gentle boil for the time stated on the packet (about 11 min), until tender. Drain and keep covered.
7. Check the chicken is cooked by piercing the thickest part: the juices should run clear and the meat should come away easily from the bone. Keep the chicken legs warm on a plate and remove the bay leaf.
8. Add the cream and mustard to the leeks and reduce for 6 to 8 min over a medium heat, uncovered, until the sauce coats the spoon. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Serve the rice with the creamy leeks and one chicken leg per person.