Creamy Chicken and Leeks with Crispy Bacon

Recipe tags

• Family Favourite
• Dinner

Ingredients

• 600 g Chicken Breast
• 2 items Leeks
• 300 ml Reduced Fat Creme Fraiche
• 1 item Chicken Stock Cube
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 8 slices Smoked Back Bacon
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 25 g Butter
• 0.5 tsp Dried Thyme
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 pinch Pepper
• 1 tsp Chopped Garlic
• 300 g Long Grain Rice

Method

1. Prepare the chicken by dicing into small chunks and slice the leeks.
2. In a large frying pan add the olive oil and half the butter, and once hot, add the diced chicken along with the chopped garlic and little salt and pepper to season the chicken. Fry for about 5 minutes until the chicken starts to turn brown.
3. In your air fryer, cook the bacon until crispy (but not burnt), this should take around 15-20 minutes.
4. In a separate pan, cook the rice for 15 minutes.
5. Add the leeks to the frying pan and the remaining butter and fry for about 5 minutes until soft. In the meantime, boil the kettle and make 400ml of chicken stock using the stock cube.
6. Add the chicken stock to the chicken and leeks in the frying pan. Also add the thyme, mustard and honey. Stir well and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
7. Add the creme fraiche to the frying pan and stir well until thoroughly mixed with the stock. Simmer gently for a further 5 minutes. Add some further seasoning if required.
8. Drain the rice and plate up with the creamy chicken and leeks and top with the crispy bacon.

Notes

• If you don't have an air fryer you can either grill your bacon or fry in a separate frying pan. You can also omit the bacon altogether, although it does add some saltiness and texture to the dish.
• You can miss out the butter for a slightly healthier version but it does give the chicken and leeks a lovely golden colour and a slightly richer taste to the sauce.

Tips

• Keep checking the bacon if using an air fryer to make sure it doesn't burn.

Swaps and substitutes

• If you don't have leeks you can use sliced white onion.
• You don't have to serve this with rice, it goes well with potatoes (any way you want them!) or some crusty bread.

Equipment and cleaning

• A large frying pan and a saucepan for the rice. An air fryer if you have one, or you can fry or grill the bacon instead.

No-waste tips

• If you have leeks left over, slice them and pop in a food storage bag and place in freezer til you need them. Or look for other recipes with leeks to add to your meal planner.