Lemon Poached Chicken and Leeks

Lemon poached chicken and leeks is a light and flavorful dish made with chicken broth, white wine and garlic. It's so easy too, in a slow cooker. Even boneless, skinless chicken breasts turn out tender and tasty.

We’ve been eating a lot more boneless, skinless chicken breast these days for various reasons, not the least of which was my primary care physician expressing concern about my high cholesterol. So I’m always on the lookout for ways to add flavor to what is often a fairly bland part of the bird.

Poaching, that is gently cooking it in liquid at a low temperature, is ideal for adding extra tastiness and simultaneously making sure that the chicken doesn’t dry out. The best kitchen tool for poaching, in my opinion, is your slow cooker. 

In a normal pot, you have to constantly monitor the temperature to make sure the broth (or whatever your poaching liquid of choice) is only simmering and equally importantly, is still covering the chicken. 

In a slow cooker, the machine does all that for you. 

Lemon Poached Chicken and Leeks

If you’d like to skip using wine, I suggest replacing it with more chicken broth measured with perhaps a tablespoon or two of white balsamic vinegar. Can’t find leeks? They can be replaced by your favorite vegetable from the allium family like onions, scallions, shallots or chives. This recipe was inspired by a slow cooker spinach and artichoke chicken one on TheKitchn.

Ingredients

2 3/4 lbs or 1240g boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Few generous grinds black pepper (I use a peppercorn mix.)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne

2 large leeks

2 cloves garlic

1 medium lemon

1 1/2 cup or 560ml chicken broth

1/2 cup or 120ml dry white wine

For serving:

chopped fresh parsley leaves

Method

Season the chicken breasts all over with the salt and two peppers. We like things on the spicy side so I definitely use more cayenne. 

Trim the leeks of their root ends and hard green bits and discard. Rinse them well under running water, then slice the tender green and white parts of the leeks into rounds about 1/4 in or 6mm wide. 

Smash then mince the garlic and cut the lemon into eight wedges, removing any seeds as you do. 

Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Top them with the garlic. 

Add in the leeks then pour in the chicken stock and white wine. 

Tuck the lemon wedges all around the chicken. 

Cover and cook on the LOW setting until the chicken is cooked through and registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.

Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut the chicken into 1/2 inch or 1cm slices.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the leeks to a lipped serving dish, then arrange the chicken slices on top of the leeks. Tuck the lemon wedges around the chicken for color. 

Top with some of the cooking liquid and a few generous grinds of black pepper. 

Sprinkle on some chopped parsley for garnish. 

Enjoy warm, at room temperature or even cold!

It's Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing special recipes to ring in the New Year! Check them all out below. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe!

• Cheaters Collards and Ham from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Ham and Black-Eyed Pea Soup from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Lemon Poached Chicken and Leeks from Food Lust People Love
• Malbari Style Beef Biryani With Cucumber Boondi Raita from Sneha's Recipe
• Shrimp Chip Dip from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Soup (Instant Pot) from Palatable Pastime

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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