Coconut Chicken with Leeks and Mushrooms

This recipe for Coconut Chicken with Leeks and Mushrooms is inspired by Dianne Bibby’s classic Chicken and Leek Casserole. Di recently featured on Russel Wasserfall’s podcast A Table in the Corner and he mentioned that his wife Camilla makes the Chicken and Leek casserole regularly for them. And since I am a huge fan of Di’s work, her styling and photography and if Camilla, who is a brilliant chef loves a recipe then I have to make it as well.

I did not set out to change Di’s recipe but tweaked it here and there based on what I had available without having to head to the shops. I swapped the cream for reduced fat coconut milk, added some garlic and a teaspoon of chilli flakes for a light touch of heat. I replaced the parsley with fresh dill as I had a bunch in the fridge and felt the flavour would work really well. And for a bit more lemony citrus to give the dish a bit of a summer feel (it is 40 degrees Celsius here in the desert on any given day) I used the zest of a whole lemon rather than half.

The Coconut Chicken with Leeks and Mushrooms is uncomplicated home cooking at its best. It’s wholesome and delicious, the recipe comes together with very little effort and allows for you to add your personal stamp to the dish depending on your taste.

Serve with steamed rice and flash fried greens on the side. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Coconut Chicken with Leeks and Mushrooms.

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Coconut Chicken with Leeks and Mushrooms

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Ingredients

  

• 8 chicken thighs (bone in and skin on)
• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic mashed
• 3 medium sized leeks thoroughly washed and chopped into rounds
• 250 g white button mushrooms sliced
• a few stems fresh thyme de-stalked
• the zest of 1 lemon
• 80 ml dry white wine
• 250 ml good quality chicken stock
• 250 ml reduced fat coconut milk
• 1 tsp chili flakes optional
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• roughly chopped dill or parsley

Instructions

 

• Heat some oil in a large frying pan
• Season the chicken with salt and black pepper and brown on both sides until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside
• Add the onion and leeks to the pan and sauté for several minutes until softened
• Add the mushrooms and cook on a medium-high heat until all the liquid has reduced
• Season with salt, black pepper and add the thyme and lemon zest and give it all a good stir
• Deglaze the pan with the wine and cook for a few minutes longer to reduce the liquid down by half and then add the chicken stock and coconut milk
• Return the chicken pieces and its juices to the pan, gentle pushing the chicken thighs into the sauce
• Cover partially with a lid and simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through
• Once cooked and if the chicken skin needs a crisp up, place under the grill for several minutes
• Scatter with plenty of parsley or dill and serve immediately