Ever been blinded by the beauty of a vegetable in the grocery store? I can just hear half of my friends laughing at me after that statement. But seriously, sometimes you’re just casually making your way through the produce section and BAM! the perfect, crispy, peak of it’s life vegetable is staring you in the face. You have no need for it, weren’t planning on buying it, but you know at that moment you now have to because it’s perfection epitomized.
That’s what happened to me with these leeks.
They were huge (almost the length of Ginger actually), vibrant green and without the slightest hint of a wilting outer leaf. They were also full of dirt, a sign I’m choosing to interpret as freshness.
Onions and I have a love/hate relationship. Love them cooked, absolutely despise them raw. There’s really nothing in this world worse than nasty raw onion breath that lingers for the entire day. Eww.
Leeks are like the perfect middle ground. They’re oniony, but not so much so that if they’re not cooked completely they leave that nasty taste behind. And when you don’t cook them completely, they retain that slight crunch factor which makes them totally delicious flavor and texture wise. I also love that they’re green. That just makes it seem less weird to eat a whole bunch and deem it a vegetable. Eating a bunch of regular onions would just be weird.
So here’s the best part of this meal, it looks fancy enough to serve for an occasion (if you’re cooler than me and actually have dinner parties) but it’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner. It’s also pretty adaptable protein wise (pork chops or even a white fish would be great here too).
Enjoy minus the onion breath!
- 1 lb. chicken breasts (thin sliced or sliced in half)
- 2.5 tablespoons AP flour
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter, divided
- 2 large leeks, trimmed, washed well and sliced
- 2 apples, cored and chopped
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
- juice of ½ a lemon
- ¼ cup white wine (or chicken broth)
- salt & pepper
- Season chicken breasts generously on both sides with salt & pepper.
- Place flour in a shallow bowl and coat each chicken breast lightly.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and ½ tablespoon butter.
- Place chicken in skillet once hot and cook for about 5 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Place chicken in an oven safe serving dish and keep warm in oven (170 degrees)
- Using the same skillet, add remaining olive oil & butter.
- Add leeks, apples & sun-dried tomatoes and toss to coat. Cook down for about 3-5 minutes.
- Add lemon juice and white wine and continue sauteing until most of the liquid has cooked off.
- Season generously with salt & pepper.
- Remove chicken from the oven and top with the leek mixture.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks like a lovely healthy dish. I have never cooked leeks for anything other than soup.
I understand what you mean by the beauty of the produce section. Its just so fresh and colourful and pretty! I love loading up my cart with healthy stuff.
oh yum! I’m glad this showed up on my reader
i love sun dried tomatoes and apples. i’ve never had leeks before cause i don’t like green onions and i associate them together but this dish may very well convert me since all the flavors sound like they mend together so nicely!
I need to experiment more with leeks – I’m pretty sure it’s normal for them to be full of dirt when you buy them!
Pretty sure I’d eat anything with sun dried tomatoes in it! Will try this out!
Oh and there’s nothing word than raw RED onion breath – I loooove Greek salads but te raw onions linger for a good 24 hours!
I totally get the love/hate relationship! I love camelized onions on almost anything. Raw? Not so much. I really appreciate this recipe, because we are growing a ton of leeks in the garden (there is pretty much a dense fence of leeks going on) to keep the rabbits out of the lettuce, chard, kale, etc. I’m always looking for new ideas for these! Thank you.
I love leeks!! What a beautiful dish!
Hmm I don’t think I’ve ever actually cooked with leeks. This looks delicious!
This looks wonderful! I don’t cook with leeks enough. Bet they taste awesome in this. Love your dishes as well!
this happens to me every july in NYC when the upstate and jersey tomatoes make their way to the Borough Hall farmer’s mkt. I want to eat them like apples, let them stand on their own. It’s almost a primal experience.
oh heck yes. I once bought a $7+ heirloom tomato b/c it looked too good to pass up. Thankfully, it tasted good too.
Your photography in the last 2-3 weeks has become show-stopping! Congrats on the growth, Gina!
I freaked out at the farmer’s market because strawberries were back! All I could do was tug my friend’s sleeve and point. Clearly I have a thing for strawberries.
Yummm… very classy!
That’s so funny because I really don’t like cooked onions but I LOVE raw onions (I’m weird, I know).
weirdo!
Healthy and so fresh. I must try this! I’m a big fan of leeks and never really use them in anything. Makes sense, i know, haha.
when leeks are growing the soil is piled up around the stalks to keep them white for it is the sun that gives them the green, chlorophyll colour;
therefore one usually cuts a leek down the middle in order to wash out the soil / i am very fond of leeks / try them braised
That sounds like such a great flavor combination! By the way.. I watched a bunch of Ginger’s videos the other day. She is so cute!
She’s a nutcase, that’s for sure!
I love how colorful this meal is- looks great!
AW man I am so pinning this. Which should really mean that I’m making it, but that would mean getting my stuff together to do that…so yeah. Let’s just say I’m pinning it.
Its so delicious to taste these kind of dish.. Awesome!
This is beautiful! What awionderful and refreshing dish!
Nothing beats sundried tomatoes. Yummy post you have here…Hugs!
I love that flavor combination…yum!
Hey this is a great topping for boneless skinless chicken. I couldn’t make it exactly like yours because I am a gardener and had fresh tomatoes that had to be used. So, I did the leeks and apples and fresh tomatoes and cut down a little on the lemon juice. I then added thinly sliced chicken to the pan an dflipped the topping on top and closed the lid. FANTASTIC! Thank you!
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