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Chicken Alfredo with Mushrooms and Braised Leeks

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Chicken Alfredo with Mushrooms and Braised Leeks

Roberta Reynolds
When I'm in the mood for comfort food (which I am now), I feel the need to have something creamy, which is often followed by the desire to have roast chicken. Except, of course, when I must have mac and cheese, but we will save that for another time. This is one of my favorite 'go to' comfort food supers, and fits my personal comfort food bill to a T. The chicken is briefly browned in a skillet, and then laid down on a bed of braised leeks. And now I have a confession to make: I usually don't buy prepared foods at the supermarket, just because I am a food geek and prefer to make my own. Most of the time, I think homemade always tastes better than store bought. Also, I'm a cheap skate and can usually make things myself for less money. In this recipe I make an exception by using jarred Garlic Alfredo Sauce to pour over the chicken. The reason is simply because I cannot for the life of me make an Alfredo Sauce that will not break or separate during the roasting process - no how, no way. This stuff is both delicious and miraculous, and I can understand every ingredient on the label except one, which works for me. I buy Bertolli’s but use whatever favorite you might have. After a healthy pouring over of Alfredo Sauce, mushroom are sautéed and added right before roasting, along with a nice handful of fresh thyme. The end result is hearty, creamy, and lick the plate delicious.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole fryer cut into serving pieces, or the equivalent in boneless and skinless breasts and/or thighs
  • Flour salt, pepper , onion powder and garlic powder for dredging prior to sautéing
  • Oil for sautéing
  • I jar Bertolli’s Garlic Alfredo sauce or sauce of your choice
  • 4-5 leeks washed and trimmed (use only the white or very light green parts in this recipe) Cut each leek in half lengthwise, then in half again, making about 5 inch long strips, or whatever fits best in your baking dish..
  • ½ cup chicken broth only necessary if you are using boneless and skinless pieces.
  • Approximately 1 pound of mushrooms wiped clean and sliced.
  • Approximately 2 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • Paprika for sprinkling

Instructions
 

  • If you are using boneless and skinless chicken: Arrange the leeks in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Lay the leeks down so they cover the bottom of the dish. Add the chicken broth, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the roasting pan with foil and bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes, or until the leeks are softened. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • If you are using bone-in chicken: Arrange the leeks in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Lay the leeks down so they cover the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
  • To prepare the chicken: Make a dredge for your chicken: Mix together about ½ - 2/3 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon onion powder together. Add salt and pepper. Heat some oil in a frying pan, and when It’s hot, add the chicken pieces and just brown them on one side. If you have a lot of pieces, work in shifts so you don’t crowd the pan – you get faster browning that way.
  • When the chicken has been browned, arrange the pieces on top of the leeks.
  • Pour over as much of the jarred Alfredo sauce as you like (um…I use the entire jar for a whole chicken, with no regrets).
  • In the pan you browned the chicken in, sauté the mushrooms until they have given up their liquid and they have cooked until all of the liquid has cooked off. Add the mushrooms to the top of the chicken and around the sides of the pan.
  • Sprinkle with the fresh thyme, and for a finishing touch, sprinkle with paprika.
  • Bake until the pieces of chicken reach 165 degrees on a cooking thermometer.
  • Remove from the oven, let cook as long as you can stand it, and devour.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta – this is your comfort food now, and you get to decide which way you are going on this.

As I mentioned before, we’re talking comfort food here.

Check out those braised leeks on the bottom of the baking dish. I braised them, covered, in a little chicken stock for about half an hour before adding the chicken. That’s because these photos are of boneless and skinless pieces.

If you are using bone-in chicken, you can just lay the raw leeks in the bottom of your roasting dish, and they will be perfectly cooked when your chicken is done.

The jarred sauce gets poured over the top ( I would be quite generous with this if I were you), sautéed mushrooms are added to the top with some fresh thyme, a sprinkle of paprika goes on top, and you are good to go.

I love serving this with either mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice. Here I’ve used a rice called ‘Black Japonica’. It’s like brown rice in flavor, only a whole lot more rich and earthy.

You will fall in love if you give it a try. You can find it at most supermarkets. Go on ahead, have a bite…and another….and another.

Hello. I’m Roberta Reynolds.

I’m so glad you dropped in! Welcome to Bird’s Nest Bakery and Café, a collection of ‘made from scratch’, seasonal recipes developed in my home kitchen. I’ve been obsessed with creating the easiest and most delicious recipes possible since I could reach the top of a stove.

I hope you’ll find this site a welcome and relaxing place where you can come for inspiration and ideas. Take a look, have fun, and feel free to modify these recipes to suit your particular palate. It would make me so happy if you would share these recipes with friends and family. After all, cooking and baking are meant to be shared with those we care about. That’s what’s so much fun about it!