A big, chunky bowlful. A soothing meal-in-a-bowl.
Serves 2
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
1 tbsp olive oil
100g dry cured smoked bacon lardons
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
300g trimmed leeks
400g potatoes
2 chicken thigh fillets
1 chicken stock cube
1 litre boiling water
1 tbsp flour
½ tsp salt
Heat the oil in a spacious pan over a medium-low heat and add the lardons. Cook, stirring occasionally until the fat has melted and crisped. Meanwhile, halve, peel and finely chop the onion, peel and finely slice the garlic in rounds. Carefully drain away some of the melted fat, leaving about 1 tbsp. Stir onion and garlic into the bacon and cook, stirring often, while you slice the leeks in 2cm thick rounds and agitate in a bowl of water. Drain. Peel the potatoes, cut into kebab-size chunks and rinse. Cut the chicken into small chunks. Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water. When the onion is nicely wilted and almost cooked, stir in the chicken to brown. Sift flour over the top, stirring until disappeared, then add about a cupful of the stock. Increase the heat slightly, stir vigorously as the liquid thickens from the flour, then add the rest, stirring as it comes up to the boil. Add leeks and potatoes and generous pinch of salt. Simmer steadily, stirring occasionally, until the veg is cooked. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.