Chicken, Potatoes, and Leeks with Pine Nut Gremolata

Amarante

Thu, Mar 30 2023, 12:51 pm

This is essentially a sheet pan chicken recipe = gremolata can be made ahead of time so all that needs to be done is put the chicken in the oven. Gremolata is a bit like pesto without the oil

Chicken, Potatoes, and Leeks with Pine Nut Gremolata
Source: Leah Konig

For the crispiest skin and most flavorful meat, roast bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs over a bed of leeks and potatoes, where they render fat and absorb flavor. A quick turn under the broiler imparts a golden finish to the chicken before they're basted in pan juices and dressed with a zippy gremolata made from toasted pine nuts, garlic, and parsley. Cookbook author Leah Koenig loves to serve these during the Passover holiday, but they're a special dinner any night of the year.

Ingredients

Gremolata

1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, tough stem ends removed
⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Chicken

1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
3 medium leeks, cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick pieces (about 4 cups)
1 garlic head, cloves separated and peeled (10 to 12 cloves)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
½ cup chicken broth
4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs (about 12 pieces), trimmed

Directions

Make the gremolata:

Combine parsley, pine nuts, lemon zest, and garlic on a cutting board. Sprinkle with salt, and finely chop mixture together. Transfer gremolata to a bowl, and set aside. I do this in my Mini Food Processor

Make the chicken:

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack 8 inches from heat. Arrange potatoes, leeks, and garlic cloves in bottom of a large broiler-safe roasting pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat. Pour broth into roasting pan.

Arrange chicken pieces, skin side up, on top of vegetable mixture in roasting pan. Brush chicken evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Roast in preheated oven on rack 8 inches from heat until vegetables are tender and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 165°F, 40 to 45 minutes, spooning pan juices over chicken after about 20 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to broil. (Do not remove roasting pan from oven.) Broil until chicken skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool 10 minutes.

Transfer chicken pieces and vegetables to a platter. Spoon sauce from roasting pan over chicken; scatter generously with gremolata (about 3/4 cup). Serve hot alongside any remaining gremolata for sprinkling.

Last edited by Amarante on Thu, Mar 30 2023, 12:57 pm; edited 2 times in total