If you're looking for hearty dish ideas for you and your crew this fall, look no further than Molly Baz's latest cookbook, "More is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen."
The cook and author recently dropped by "GMA3" to talk about her new cookbook, and share her miso-braised chicken and leeks recipe.
Ingredients:
3 medium leeks (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1 bunch of tarragon or mint
3 tbsps. unsalted butter, cold
4 large bone-in, skin-on or chicken legs, or 6 bone-in, skin-on thighs (about two pounds)
1 heaping tbsp. fennel seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
Extra-virgin olive oil
5 tbsps. white miso paste
1 cup sake, dry vermouth, or white wine
Directions:
Position racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, place 1 heaping tablespoon of fennel seeds. Grind until finely ground. (You can finely cop the fennel seeds instead.) Add to a small bowl, along with one tablespoon of salt, one teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, and one teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Mix to combine.
Place four large bone-in, skin-on chicken legs on a small rimmed baking sheet or plate and season with the fennel spice blend, being sure to sprinkle thoroughly underneath the skin (between the skin and the flesh) as well. Reserve a teaspoon or two of the spice blend for seasoning later. Ideally, season your chicken at least one hour and up to a day in advance.
Trim the hairy ends of 3 medium leeks, halve the leeks lengthwise, and then cut the halves into 3-inch pieces. If they are dirty, submerge them in cold water and rinse, taking care to leave the layers in tact if possible. Drain well.
In a large Dutch oven, position the chicken legs in an even layer, skin-side down, over medium heat. Let the chicken skin render its fat, rotating the pot 180 degrees halfway through to encourage even cooking, until the chicken pieces release easily and the skin is deeply golden and super crisp, 16 to 20 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer the chicken pieces to a small rimmed baking sheet.
You should have a good amount of fat left over in the pot, but every chicken is different, so if the pot seems dry, add some olive oil.
Raise the heat to medium-high, and add the leeks, cut-side down. Season with the reserved spice blend. Cook until the leeks are deeply caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes.
While the leeks caramelize, place 5 tablespoons of miso paste into a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in one cup of sake until smooth and homogenous. Then whisk in one cup of water.
Once the leeks are caramelized, add the sake-miso mixture to the pot, along with a couple tarragon sprigs. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat.
Dot the leeks with 3 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter.
Nestle the chicken back in. Transfer the pot to the oven, uncovered. Braise until the chicken and leeks are tender, and the sauce has reduced but is still brothy, for 40 to 50 minutes. Discard the tarragon sprigs.
Spoon the leeks and their broth into serving bowls. Top each one with a chicken leg. Tear some fresh tarragon over each bowl and finish with a few grinds of pepper.
Molly says you don't want to rush this process, so make sure your heat isn't too high. The trick is to render the fat slowly. The chicken will release from the pot.