Do you have two chicken breasts? A couple of potatoes and a leek? Hello, delicious gratin! I’m madly in love with this dish, because even though there aren’t a lot of ingredients – it packs a wallop of flavor.
I think Jedd would be psyched if I made this five nights a week.
But, it’s a little time consuming. Not crazy time consuming, but enough that it’s more of a “weekend” than a “Wednesday night” dish. Unless you throw on some music, pour a glass of wine and have two of you in the kitchen prepping. Then it would be a breeze.
So, I guess that makes this a “Weeknight-ish” dish.
Either way, I guarantee you’re going to love it.
Chicken, Potato and Leek Gratin
Serves 2.
Ingredients:
2 medium red potatoes, cubed into ½-inch pieces
1large leek
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons worcestershire
½ teaspoon ground thyme
1 cup (preferably not low-sodium) chicken broth
1 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped and divided
4 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, roughly chopped
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash the leek, and remove the tough dark green ends, and stem.
Slice into ½-inch rounds. Place the leeks in a colander and rinse well under cold water, until any grit is gone. (Leeks are notoriously gritty. But so worth it!)
Place the potato and leeks into the bottom of a 9×9 baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix the dijon, worcestershire and thyme together in a bowl or on a plate. Rub the chicken breasts all over with the mixture.
Place the chicken on the potatoes and leeks.
Gently pour the broth around the chicken.
In a small bowl mix together the panko, butter, half the parsley and rosemary. (You’re going to want to use your hand for that – it makes it much easier.)
Cover the top of the chicken with the panko mixture.
Place aluminum foil over the dish, taking care to leave a little space so that it’s not touching the panko-covered chicken.
Bake for 35 minutes, and remove the foil. Cook until the chicken is at least 165 degrees and is golden brown.
(Photos by Launie Kettler)