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Creamy shiitake and leek chicken


Creamy comfort food. It's a staple of family cooking and a favourite of mine to prepare. What could be better at the end of a cold and rainy day than golden brown chicken smothered in a creamy shiitake mushroom and leek sauce? Talk about feeding the soul!


Here's how I made it:

splash vegetable oil
3 lbs chicken pieces (I used drumsticks)
1 lb leeks (about 1 large), sliced and rinsed
100 g fresh shiitake mushrooms
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream (about 35% fat)

While my oven preheated to 400 degrees (F), I warmed the vegetable oil over medium/high heat in a large skillet. I added the chicken pieces to the skillet in two batches (this is a good time to use a splatter shield!), browning them on all sides. When they were done cooking, the drumsticks where transferred to a large ceramic casserole dish.


To make the sauce, I lowered the heat of the skillet to medium/low and added the leeks and shiitakes. They cooked, covered, for 15 minutes. Next, I added the flour, stirring until it was absorbed by the vegetable juices. Then I added the soy sauce, pepper, stock and cream. The sauce was brought up to the boil, then poured over the chicken drumsticks in the casserole dish.

It went in the oven for 25 minutes until the centre was bubbly and the sauce thickened.


All this creamy goodness was served on a bed of rice with a side of peas. Yum!

What's your favourite creamy meal to make? Do you keep heavy cream on hand? Do you avoid dishes made with heavy cream, or just enjoy them and follow up with an after dinner walk?