Braised Chicken and Leeks (AIP, Paleo, Whole30)
Braised chicken and leeks cooked until tender with lemon and dill. A simple one-pot chicken dinner that fits AIP, Paleo and Whole30.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken quarters (about 4 pieces)
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt, divided
- 1 tbsp ghee or duck fat
- 4 large leeks, bulbs and mid-greens cut into 1-inch rounds and washed well (about 6 cups)
- 2 Meyer lemons
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp honey
- 3-4 sprigs fresh dill
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300°.
- Season the chicken with 2 teaspoons of salt.
- Juice one Meyer lemon, measuring around 2 tablespoons of juice. Quarter the remaining lemon along with the juiced half.
- In a wide, high-sided skillet, melt the ghee or duck fat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is golden and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate, skin-side up.
- Add the leeks to the pan with the remaining teaspoon of salt and sauté until the leeks are bright green, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, chicken stock, and honey, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Nestle the chicken back into the pan, skin-side up. Tuck in the lemon quarters and a few sprigs of dill, reserving some dill for garnish.
- Transfer to the oven and braise, uncovered, for about 2 hours, until the chicken reaches 185° to 195°F and is fall-apart tender. Serve topped with the remaining dill.