Chicken Poached With Thyme And Leeks Food

CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• Place milk, broth and stock powder in a large saucepan. Bring to a very gentle simmer over medium heat, add chicken and thyme.
• Place lid on, simmer gently on medium low for 15 minutes (do not boil, can make milk split).
• Remove chicken, shred or dice (don't worry if inside a bit uncooked). Cover pot and set poaching liquid aside.
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes. Add thyme, carrot and celery, cook for 3 minutes or until carrot is softened.
• Add wine. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until wine is mostly evaporated.
• Add flour and stir for 1 minute.
• Add about half the reserved poaching liquid and stir until all flour is incorporated - it will be a thick sludge.
• Add remaining milk broth, parmesan, pepper. Stir.
• Add chicken and peas, stir.
• Once mixture is heated (you'll see steam), cook for 3 minutes to thicken the sauce, stirring regularly. (Note 3)
• Remove from heat. Spoon into oven proof pots - 4 large or 6 small (Note 4). Cool in fridge at least 30 minutes. (Note 5)
• Meanwhile, remove puff pastry from freezer to partially thaw. Then use a bowl as a guide to cut rounds from the pastry about 2.5cm / 1" wider (all the way around) than the pots - be generous!
• Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
• Brush edge of pots with egg. Top with puff pastry, folding down the edges.
• Brush pastry with egg. Cut a 2cm / 2/3" slide in the middle with a small knife.
• Bake 35 - 40 minutes until deep golden.
• Serve immediately!

SUPED-UP TRADITIONAL CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Place the chicken, leek, onion, celery, carrot, lemon, parsley, dill, thyme, and bay leaf in a large pot and fill with water until the pot is 2 to 3-inches full from the top, about 3 to 4 quarts water. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered 1 hour. Remove the chicken to large plate or bowl. Strain the cooking liquids and reserve for soup stock. Pull the skin and carcass away and chop the meat or shred with forks.
• Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in soup pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add leeks, onions, celery, parsnip or fennel, carrots, salt and pepper. Stir frequently for 10 minutes to soften vegetables without browning them then add stock and 1/3 of the chicken meat to pot. Cool and store soup for a make-ahead meal and reheat over medium high flame or, to serve immediately reduce heat to simmer and cook the egg noodles in another pot.
• Boil water in a large pot, salt the boiling water and cook the pasta to al dente or with a good-bite left to it. Drain the pasta and toss with butter or a drizzle of oil, stir to combine and coat the noodles evenly.
• Pour the soup over the noodles in soup bowls and top with fresh dill, parsley, or reserved fennel fronds, if using.

PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEEKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the bacon in a large heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet and cook over medium-high heat until some of the fat renders, about 5 minutes. Push the bacon to the side of the pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add it to the pan and cook, turning, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and leeks, then arrange the chicken on top of the bacon-leek mixture. Transfer to the oven and roast until the chicken is golden and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160 degrees F, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter.
• Carefully return the skillet to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the broth and half-and-half and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spoon the leek mixture over the chicken. Serve with the remaining lemon wedges.
• Per serving: Calories 418; Fat 24 g (Saturated 8 g); Cholesterol 147 mg; Sodium 322 mg; Carbohydrate 14 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 34 g

LEMON CHICKEN AND LEEK RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the butter over medium heat in a skillet that has a lid. Add the pasta and toast until deep golden and nutty. Add the leeks and wilt, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and add wine, if using, and cook until it evaporates. Add the rice and the chicken stock and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until almost tender, 15 minutes. Add the chicken, lemon juice and parsley. Cover, let stand 5 to 10 minutes, then serve.
• Get Rachael's shopping list for this episode's recipes here.
• Place the cleaned chicken in a pot on bed of bay leaves, carrots, garlic, lemon, onions, celery and parsley. Fill the pot covering the top of the chicken with about 12 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and throw in a couple of peppercorns. Bring the water to a low boil then gently cook at low rolling simmer for about 1 hour, turning the chicken occasionally. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool completely in its own juices. Remove the chicken and separate the meat from the skin and bones. Strain and reserve all of the cooking liquids.

PAN-SEARED CHICKEN WITH THYME

Steps:

• Season both sides of chicken with salt, pepper, and dried thyme. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge both sides of chicken pieces in flour.
• Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. When oil starts to shimmer, add the chicken. (If the chicken browns too quickly, reduce heat.) Cook, turning as needed, until chicken is browned on both sides, is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear, 4 or 5 minutes total on each side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
• In the same pan, reduce heat to low and add thyme sprigs and cook until aromatic, 1 or 2 minutes. Increase heat to high; pour in Swanson® Chicken Stock and wine. Stir up browned bits to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken bouillon granules and mix well. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce reduces and is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
• Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Add to the pan any accumulated juices from the tented chicken plate. Finish the sauce by whisking in the cold butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon sauce over chicken before serving.

POACHED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken, breast side down, onion, garlic, and salt in a large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove chicken from pot, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Let chicken stand until cool enough to handle. Shred meat, and mix with reserved cooking liquid.

CHICKEN, LEEK & MUSHROOM PIE

Steps:

• Put the chicken in a large pan with the bay, half the thyme sprigs, the parsley stalks, onions, garlic, stock and seasoning. Pour the milk over the chicken and, if you need to, top up with water to make sure the chicken is covered. Bring the chicken to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 15 mins. Lift from the liquid and leave to cool.
• Drain the poaching liquid through a sieve into a large jug - you need 650ml to make the sauce for your pie.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the leeks and the mushrooms, and cook for 5-10 mins until soft, then season well. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Slowly add the poaching liquid, stirring until you have a thick sauce.
• Using two forks, pull the chicken apart into thumb-sized chunks rather than chopping it - I feel you get a far better pie this way. Chop the parsley leaves, then stir into the leeks with the thyme leaves, crème frâiche and chicken. Check the seasoning, then spoon the mixture into your pie dish (or dishes) to cool slightly.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Roll out the pastry on a lightly dusted work surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut thin strips from the edges and use a little water to stick these around the lip of the pie dish, then wet the top of the pastry strip. Lift the pastry on top of the pie, trim the edges and crimp them with your fingers or a fork. Brush the top with milk and cut a steam hole in the middle.
• Put the dish on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 20-25 mins until the pastry is risen and golden. Some of the filling will have bubbled up through the steam hole. Have a bottle of tomato ketchup on hand to serve, if you like - and be careful, the pie will be hot.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN & LEEK TERRINE

Steps:

• Gently cook the leeks for 15 mins in 2 tbsp olive oil until soft, then set aside to cool. In the remaining oil, fry the mushrooms with the garlic and thyme for 2 mins, then set aside to cool. Soak the gelatine in cold water, then heat the stock. Dissolve the gelatine in the stock, season, then set aside. Gather all the ingredients so you have them to hand when you start to assemble the terrine.
• Line a terrine dish or loaf tin with cling flim. Line with slices of prosciutto so that they overlap to cover the base and sides, and overhang the edges.
• Wet the bottom of the dish with a drizzle of stock. Arrange a single layer of chicken so that everything is even - don't worry about any gaps - then pour over a little more stock.
• Scatter over a layer of mushrooms (discarding the garlic and thyme). Season with salt and pepper, then moisten again with a little more stock.
• Add more chicken followed by a layer of leeks, another layer of chicken, then the herbs. Drizzle stock between every layer and season with salt and pepper as you go. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up or the terrine is full to the brim. Finish with a final scattering of herbs, a last ladleful of stock, then tap the dish down a few times so that the stock gets into all the gaps.
• Fold the prosciutto over to encase the terrine. Fold the cling film over and press down gently. Sit the terrine in a dish to catch any juices. Lay a tray on top, weigh it down with a can and chill overnight. Twenty mins before serving, remove the tray. Put the terrine in the freezer to firm. Just before serving, lift it out of the dish. Wrap it tightly in more cling film.
• Carefully slice the terrine, still wrapped in its cling film. Remove the cling film and place a slice in the centre of each plate. Arrange chunks of spiced pear (recipe below) around terrine. Drizzle a little chicken poaching liquid around the plate, then drizzle with a tiny bit of oil. Neatly scatter a few baby salad leaves over the pear, then season the terrine with some sea salt and pepper before serving.

CREAMY CHICKEN & LEEKS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the bacon for 2 mins. Add the chicken, then cook with the bacon for a further 2-3 mins, until the pieces begin to turn golden. Tip in the leeks and cook gently for 10 mins until wilted and tender.
• Stir through the flour and gradually add the stock, stirring constantly. Add the wholegrain mustard and crème fraîche, stir again, then simmer gently for 5 mins until the sauce is slightly thickened and creamy. Serve on top of baked jacket potatoes.