Rick Stein’s Cornwall: Cider, Chicken and Leek Gratin Recipe

As seen on Rick Stein’s Cornwall – create Rick’s recipe for chicken and leek gratin – a homely, comforting dish for the whole family. On the show, Rick shared this dish with his old chum, Head Gardener at Tresillian House, John Harris. The cider and sweet leeks come together to make a fantastic dish, and the chicken thighs bring a great deal of flavour too.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, in 4cm cubes
• 2 good sized leeks, trimmed and sliced
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ¼ tsp pimenton 
• 150ml cider
• 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
• 300g double cream
• 350g potatoes, such as Maris Piper, scrubbed and very finely sliced
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt 

How to cook cider, chicken and leek gratin 

You’ll need ovenproof dish approx. 26cm x 20cm /or 23cm diameter round and preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan.

Heat half the butter in a frying pan and fry the chicken until golden then transfer to a plate. 

Add the leeks to the pan with the rest of the butter over a low heat, soften them without colouring. Then add the cider, mustard, soy sauce, pimenton, salt and cream – bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes to thicken. When combined, add the chicken back to the pan with any juices then tip into your ovenproof dish. Arrange the potato slices over the filling and sprinkle over the cheddar and sprinkle with pimenton.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until bubbling and golden and the potatoes are tender. 

Serve with green leafy vegetables.