#readcookeat recipe : Chicken & Leek Stroganoff (Me, Myself and Them)

Since I started joining in with the #readcookeat challenge over at Chez Maximka, I've discovered so many great meals. Some are exotic dishes that I'd never heard of before coming across them in novels, while others are simple twists on well-known dishes that I'd just never thought of. Reading Me, Myself and Them by Dan Mooney recently (click through for my review), I had one such revelation.

p166 'Sit down,' she said, gesturing to his chair. 'Chicken-and-leek stroganoff, with rice and some naan bread. I used to make it in Australia. A friend of mine was a chef.'

Denis could only smile, although he felt somewhat disconcerted. He had always been proud of the fact that he did all the cooking, thinking that it was a skill he had to offer her. She had obviously enjoyed the fact that he liked cooking for her, and left him to it. And now this.

Hmmm I love the combination of chicken and leeks and I also like creamy stroganoff so it was bound to be a match made in heaven. I glanced through a number of recipes online (Jamie Oliver has a popular one) then went in the kitchen and winged it, using whatever was in the fridge.

Chicken & Leek Stroganoff

ingredients :

drizzle of olive oil

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

4 chicken breasts

3 mushrooms

2 leeks

salt, pepper

2tbsp stroganoff spices (see below for herbs/spices you could use instead)

crème fraîche/marscapone/double cream/single cream - whatever you like !

Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onions and garlic until they start to go soft but don't go brown.

Chop up the chicken into bite-sized chunks and add to the onions. Fry for about ten minutes, until it is just cooked through. Don't overdo it as it will continue to cook with the other ingredients.

Add the mushrooms.

And the leeks. Don't forget to wash them thoroughly - there's nothing worse than crunching on sand or grit that you missed ! I chop them into chunks then put them in a colander in the sink and whoosh them around with my hand under running water. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the mushrooms and leeks have softened. If they release a lot of water (like mine did), drain off the excess cooking juice before the next step.

I had a jar of Stroganoff spices from a Russian-themed Kitchen Trotter box so I used some of that but you could just use whatever you have in your spice rack. My blend includes paprika, mustard and dill, but I also added garlic salt and a little caraway seed for added flavour. 

Throw in some salt and pepper with the spices, give it all a mix then stir through the cream. I used half crème fraîche et half marscapone for extra creaminess, but any type of cream would work (except the squirty stuff in a can !!).

Heat gently until the cream is warmed through and the chicken is thoroughly coated then serve on a bed of rice.

Clean plates all round, even from the kids !

Linking up with the #readcookeat challenge, over at Chez Maximka.

Also adding to the #KitchenClearout linky as it used up some of my stroganoff spices.