Currently cooking out of Simple Weeknight Favorites from America’s Test Kitchen

I really liked this dish. It was fast and easy, just as advertised. My only beef is that I would have preferred chicken breast meat to chicken thighs. I find I’m not much of a thigh person these days.

The dish starts out by microwaving small red potatoes until they are tender. This is one of those I-can’t-believe-I-didn’t-think-of-this tips that I will use forever more. It’s much easier and faster than waiting for water to boil.

Anyway, while the potatoes are microwaving, you brown the chicken thighs that you’ve cut in half and seasoned with salt and pepper. The chicken gets set aside, and using the same pan, you cook carrots and leeks until they are tender. Wine is used to deglaze the pan, after which the chicken and any accumulated juices are added back to the pan. The pan is covered and the chicken simmers until it is done. The chicken, carrots and leeks are transferred to another plate, along with the potatoes, so you can reduce the remaining liquid to build the sauce. Once the liquid has thickened slightly, you stir in creme fraiche (or sour cream if you are me), lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. The sauce is poured over the chicken, carrots, leeks and potatoes and everything is stirred together and seasoned to taste.

As I said above, both Bryan and I really enjoyed this dish. It was filling and reheated very well. The only change I would make next time, besides using chicken breasts instead of thighs, would be to cut down on the amount of meat. It felt like there was too much meat compared to the amount of veggies.