Originally spotted on Food Network, this Chicken Leek and Apple Stew is a recipe that I enjoy making when my family is craving a good, down-home, awesome chicken dinner. I must say that I think it’s very much a cooler weather meal. It’s really a wonderful chicken stew. This isn’t your typical beef stew recipe. The ingredients are really different, the chicken sits in whole pieces on top, and it’s all cooked in a wonderful apple-flavored sauce. But it’s one that you will definitely want to try!
Ingredients needed:
chicken thighs kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper unsalted butter canola or vegetable oil all purpose flour leeks celery seeds dry white vermouth or white wine chicken broth apple cider or apple juice fresh thyme Golden Delicious apples
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Season the chicken generously with a little bit of salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and the oil in a large, deep ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess, and lay it skin-side-down in the skillet. Cook the chicken, turning once, until it is golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the leeks and celery seeds, and cook until slightly soft, about 4 minutes. Pull the skillet from the heat, add the vermouth, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that cling to the pan. Add the broth, apple cider, thyme, and the 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, use a fork to work the 2 tablespoons of flour into the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk the butter mixture into the skillet until dissolved. Stir in the apples. Return the chicken (now skin-side up) along with any collected juices to the pan. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, tender and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
I use bone-on chicken thighs for this recipe. You can definitely use boneless chicken thighs, if you’d like. Chicken breasts might turn out to be too dry in this recipe.
I also leave the skin my chicken thighs on since it imparts so much flavor into the dish. Again, you can take the skin off if you prefer.
Serve Chicken, Leek and Apple Stew over noodles that have been tossed with butter and parsley. And that’s all you need for a wonderful meal. Enjoy!
The Best Stew Recipes:
Irish Stew Greek Beef Stew Cajun Meatball Stew Slow Cooker Beef Stew Chicken Stew with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
