Chicken with Sucuk and Leeks

Sydney was cold today! It is the height of summer and it’s cold and raining. Depressing. I needed something tonight that was going to be hearty and warming. This was a surprisingly simple Turkish stew that really delivered in both flavour and heartiness. The use of leeks on top I initially thought a bit strange, but it worked perfectly. I couldn’t be bothered to cook anything to go with it so we ate it very simply with slices of crusty bread and it was perfect.

INGREDIENTS:
800g chicken thighs (cut into chunks)
2 large leeks (washed and trimmed)
750ml chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
2 small turnips (large cubes)
1 large tomato (seeded, roughly chopped)
1 red onion (roughly chopped)
1 cup sucuk sausage (sliced)
2 banana capsicums (seeded and chopped)
3 long green chillies (seeded and chopped)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the stock in a large pan until boiling. Add the whole leeks and simmer, covered in the stock for 20 minutes until soft. Remove the leeks and set aside to cool. Retain the stock, wipe out the pan and melt the butter over a moderate heat. When bubbling, add the chicken and fry for 5-6 minutes to brown lightly. Add all the other ingredients and 250 ml of the retained stock. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer the sauce for 25-30 minutes until the turnip is tender and the sauce reduced. Add salt & pepper to your taste. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, when the leeks are cool enough, cut them in half, lengthways and then into thin ribbons.

Spoon the chicken into a bowl and arrange a handful of leeks over the top.

SERVING:
Serve with bread or mashed potatoes.

Try some of my other recipes…