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This creamy leek chicken recipe has a delicate and buttery white wine sauce with ribbons of sautéed leeks! It’s a 30-minute dish that’s easy yet special enough for company.
Try my Simple Sautéed Leeks or Potato Leek Tomato Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
Leeks are so underrated, in my opinion. For those unfamiliar, they’re in the allium family along with onions and shallots. Their flavor is mild and slightly sweet when cooked, making them ideal for this simple chicken with leeks. The cooked texture is soft and silky!
Here the juicy chicken is pan-fried until golden, and Italian herbs, real cream, and white wine give it a fancy touch. While leeks have a gentler taste than, say, yellow onions, they impart lots of refined and mellow savory flavor in this irresistible chicken with a leek sauce!
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Leeks – small to medium ones are best, and you’ll want to look for firm stalks with a bright white bulb and vibrant green leaves
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Garlic – more aromatic goodness
- Italian seasoning – the ultimate blend of dried herbs all in one jar
- White wine – use a dry white wine you’d enjoy drinking (e.g., pinot grigio, sauv blanc). Cooking wine is to be avoided.
- Cornstarch – to thicken the sauce
- Heavy cream – for that luxuriously rich taste and texture
- Parsley – an optional pop of freshness
Helpful tips
- If you’re new to leeks, you may want to consult my handy illustrated How to Prepare Leeks guide for all the info you could ever need.
- Take the time to get a good sear on the chicken and to lightly brown the leeks. This will build layers of flavor!
How to make creamy leek chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken breasts lengthwise and season with salt & pepper. Prep, slice, and clean the leeks. Heat up the oil and half the butter, then pan fry the chicken until golden on both sides. Transfer it to a plate. Reduce the heat, and add the rest of the butter to the skillet.
Once melted, add in the leeks and sauté, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned. Transfer them to the plate with the chicken. Add in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and wine. Let it bubble until reduced somewhat.
Meanwhile, make a cornstarch slurry. Stir the heavy cream and slurry into the pan. Return the chicken and leeks, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Taste, season with extra salt & pepper if needed, and garnish with parsley if desired.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Slice the leeks with a quality chef’s knife and clean them in a colander.
- Here is my trusty cast iron skillet to get a great sear on everything.
- This splatter guard makes cleanup much easier.
Substitutions and variations
- This is quite a delicate, buttery sauce where the subtle flavor of the leeks shines. If you want to spice/jazz it up a bit, use Tony’s Creole seasoning or seasoning salt instead of salt & pepper.
- You can use chicken thighs, but I would cook them for a bit longer.
- As always, I don’t recommend subbing the cream with a lower fat alternative as it may curdle and/or yield a thinner, less rich sauce.
What to serve with leek chicken
- The sauce is fantastic over a big pile of my Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream. Jasmine rice or my Simple Risotto would be delicious as well.
- For vegetable sides, try my Sautéed Green Beans, simple Garlic Butter Broccolini, or Easy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots.
- A nice salad pairing would be my Creamy Cucumber Salad or your favorite greens with this Italian Salad Dressing and Garlic Croutons.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers of this leek chicken for 3-4 days in the fridge in a covered container.
- Reheat slowly in a saucepan over a low heat so that you don’t overcook the chicken.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one due to the dairy.
If you made this chicken with a creamy leek sauce, I would love to hear from you in the comments below! Or tag me on Instagram with this or any S&L dish you made.
Chicken with Creamy Leek Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper to taste, see note
- 2 small-to-medium leeks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Fresh chopped parsley optional, to taste
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make four thinner cutlets. Season them with salt & pepper.
- To prepare the leeks, discard the top dark green portion of the leeks and keep the bulbs (light green and white parts). Slice the bulbs into thin rings. Add the leeks to a colander and rinse them thoroughly (use your hands to dislodge any stubborn dirt; it can hide). Shake them a few times so they're not too wet.
- Add the olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the pan is hot, add the chicken to the skillet and cook it for 4-5 minutes/side until golden. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining butter to the skillet. Let it melt, then add in the leeks. Sauté them, stirring fairly often, for 5 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Transfer the leeks to a plate (the same one as the chicken is fine).
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and white wine to the skillet. Let it bubble until the liquid is reduced by half.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of cold water and stir until dissolved.
- Add the cream and cornstarch slurry to the pan and give it a good stir.
- Add the chicken and leeks back to the skillet (and any plate juices). Simmer for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened a bit (you may need to increase the heat again to get it going). If the sauce becomes too thick, add in another splash of cream of wine. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed and sprinkle with parsley if desired.
Notes
- Use Tony’s Creole seasoning or seasoning salt to spice it up a bit!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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