Swap your regular roast dinner for this hearty farmhouse chicken braise with a rich double cream and mustard jus. Carrots and leeks add both crunch and flavour to this filling dish.
Prepared in just 15 minutes, this traybake uses 12 skin-on chicken thighs. This recipe serves four, which means each person can have up to three chicken thighs a portion. It also works out at just 99p per portion and is part of our cheap family meals collection as it’s a budget dinner under £1 per head.
Ingredients
- 12 skin on chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 500g small Chantenay carrots
- 2 large leeks, thickly sliced
- Sprigs of thyme and parsley
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 150ml double cream or crème fraiche
- 2 tsp each coarse-grain mustard and English mustard
Method
Set the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Heat a large frying pan and add the chicken thighs, in 1 or 2 batches, skin-side down. Cook until the skin browns well, then turn them over and cook for another couple of mins. Take them out and set aside.
Drain off all the fat from the pan. Add the oil and when hot, add the carrots and leeks and cook for about 5 mins. Spread the veg out in a large baking dish or roasting tin. Add the sprigs of thyme and parsley. Season well. Put the chicken thighs on top. Season again and pour in 600ml boiling water – enough to almost cover the meat. Cover with foil or a lid. Cook for 30 mins, take off the foil and cook for a further 20 mins.
Pour the stock into a jug. Cover the chicken with foil to keep it warm. Bring 300ml of the stock to the boil in a small pan and reduce it by half. Stir in the cream or crème fraiche, whisk well and simmer for a few minutes. Add the mustards and seasoning. Serve the sauce with the chicken, along with potatoes, beans and peas, if you like.
Top tips for making farmhouse chicken braise
If you want to make this dish lower in calories and fat, swap the double cream for low-fat creme fraiche instead. Use skinless chicken thighs too as the skin has a higher fat content.
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