I remember when I was a little girl, on the way home from school, thinking about what wonderful smells would be waiting for me.  My mom was always cooking or baking something that you could smell from the moment you walked up the front steps.  I swear she would make her menu choices by how great the aroma of the food would be.   I try to do that same thing for my children.  I want their childhood memories to include the smell of wonderful food, like the way my home smells when I make chicken alla vegetables.

chicken alla vegetablesPreheat your oven to 425 degrees

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs

Sea salt

Pepper

Onion diced

Leeks washed and cut into ovals**

Celery root peeled and cut into chunks same size as onions

Asparagus about 15 to 20 washed and chopped

1 Lb small red potatoes peeled just to take pits out and cut in 4’s

4 carrots peeled and cut similar size to potatoes

½ cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

Place a dutch oven over medium heat add olive oil and butter.  Place the thighs in the pot skin side down, season with salt and pepper.

Do not touch the chicken until it easily releases from the pan, turn over and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until both sides are golden brown.  Transfer cooked chicken to a plate.

Add the onion, leeks, celery root, asparagus, potatoes and carrots to the dutch oven.  Deglaze the pan with the wine and stock.  Cook vegetables for 8 minutes.  Return chicken to your dutch oven and place into your preheated oven for 45 minutes.

 

**If you have never used leeks before, make sure you clean the leeks very well.  Dirt hides in between the layers of the leaves.  I always cut my leeks first and then place cut leeks in to a bowl of cool water, swish around to remove all dirt.