Poached Chicken with Braised Leeks and Mustard Vinaigrette

29th September, 2010

roast pork belly with quince paste

Chicken

3 single, boneless chicken breasts

1 carrot, sliced

4 parsley stalks

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon sea salt

Leeks

4 slim leeks, root end left intact

1 cup chicken stock

1 red capsicum, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 bay leaves

6 sprigs of thyme

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 a lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, crushed

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To serve

flat-leaf parsley to garnish

Vinaigrette: Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl and season.

Chicken: Put the chicken in a large saucepan with the carrot, parsley stalks, bay leaves and sea salt. Add enough cold water to cover the chicken. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and leave in the water for 30 minutes. Discard the water and dry the chicken on kitchen towels. Pull the meat into long shreds and toss with the vinaigrette. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Leeks: Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Wash the leeks and cut in half lengthwise through the root. Place cut side down in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add the remaining ingredients and season. Wet a piece of scrunched up baking paper under the tap then smooth out the place over the leeks. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool.

To serve: Arrange the leeks on a long serving platter, reserving some of the capsicum for garnish. Pile the chicken on top of the leeks and garnish with the reserved capsicum and flat-leaf parsley.

To buy the ingredients for this recipe click here: http://mercatus.com.au/produce

As featured in Dish magazine. www.dish.co.nz