Skillet Chicken and Farro With Caramelized Leeks Recipe (2024)

I used 1/2 tsp ground fennel, 3/4 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp dried thyme and switched the grain to a wild rice blend, delicious and a big hit with guests. Don’t skip the tomatoes and leek with splash of acid (I used fresh lemon juice) as a topper, gives a perfect pop of flavor that lifts the whole dish.

Can I use cumin and coriander powder instead of the seeds?

Use whole grain farro instead of pearled for better texture and flavor. Par-cook for 10 minutes before adding to pan with chicken and leeks. To keep chicken skin crisp, skip the lid and stovetop once chicken is nestled. Instead, bake uncovered at 400 about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Delicious! I made it last night, and my guests loved it. I could only find regular farro at my natural foods store which, I believe, takes longer to cook than pearled farro so I substituted pearled barley, and it worked just fine. The only other change I made is that I added more garlic. The tomato, leek, parsley, and lemon juice topping really helps to bring it all together. I will definitely make this tasty dish again.

Great flavors, but I wouldn't use skin-on chicken thighs again (just use skin-off). Yes, it gets a nice crust in the beginning when you're searing, but then it essentially steams for the last 30 minutes while the farro cooks and then you're left with rubbery chicken skin. Not inedible, but not a great texture or mouth-feel.

So delicious! Local farm market still had ramps, so subbed ramps for the leeks. The chicken was beautifully tender, and the whole thing had such flavor! Oh my. Big hit. Will do with leeks next time. Used up the farro in the pantry - a definite staple to replace and keep on hand for such as this superb dish.

This was super-delicious. I think our leeks on the West Coast must be extra-large, because one leek yielded more than 6 cups, so I just used the one. I used a 14" cast iron skillet, and was able to brown 6 thighs in one go. Also, it's nice to relax with a glass of wine whilst it cooks.

I liked using the green part of the leeks and the farro. would definitely make those two again. The chicken would be better and easier just roasted on a sheet pan to stay crispy and really not much more work. A bit too salty for my taste.

A bag of farro was over $8.00, while the same sized bag of pearled barley was slightly over a buck. I chose the pearled barley (not Pearl Bailey!). Next time, I will probably just use a rice mixture from Lundberg's. I will also pour off the chicken fat before adding olive oil, double the leeks and add more garlic.

What a fantastic recipe. Oh the farro is so darn tasty. Used cilantro instead of parsley, the acid was apple cider vinegar and I baked it in the oven with no lid on. Turned out AMAZING!

Over the last several years I have made a couple hundred recipes from the New York Times, most of which were great. I prepared this one exactly according to the recipe, and it is definitely not in that category. In fact, it’s so bland that in my humble opinion it’s hardly worth eating and certainly not worth the hour or so of prep time. Indeed, we dumped the leftovers except for the chicken, which we rinsed off to save for another meal. Highly NOT recommended!

I enjoyed this dish, but as I expected, the delicate flavor of the leeks was completely lost in the spices (that I doubled with half on the raw chicken, and half as written). Next time I'll try with a red onion, some celery, and carrots or a sweet bell pepper in lieu of the leeks. For the relish, I'll use a shallot.I agree that the oven is the best final cook (with skin-on thighs).

I agree with all the good (and bad) notes on this recipe.Taking your time to slow cook the leeks is imperative to the flavour profile as is skin-on chicken. I did think the end product was bland, this is easily fixable with a little Aleppo and feta to play off the existing flavours.

Made again tonight using coriander as I noted below. Much better than fennel! Also, next time lemon juice instead of lime in the garnish. So, so good. Don't know why I don't make it more often.

Trim, trim, trim to minimize fat. Wipe skillet clean before adding olive oil and leeks. 2 T tomato paste. Go big on the tomatoes, parsley, lemon etc.

The whole fam enjoys this meal. For me, it is a weekend dish unless the chicken is skinned, and the leeks, tomato/parsley is already prepped. The farro takes every minute of the allotted time to cook, so keep that in mind. Be sure to buy 3 LARGE leeks. Use 2 TBSP tomato paste (I may try 3, next time)Double the amount of cherry tomato-parsley-lemon mix

Agree with a prior comment: to keep chicken skin crisp, skip the lid and stovetop once chicken is nestled. Instead, bake uncovered at 400 about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Family liked this one =)Next time: use 2TBSP tomato pasteBe sure to use 3 leeks, allow 10 extra minutes for the farro

This is an awesome recipe. My one reservation is that It took much longer than 30 minutes to cook the Faro. Perhaps 2 to 1 on the chicken stock was excessive for the particular grain that I acquired at my local health food store. Also, since I didn't have any tomato paste, I substituted some preserved lemon. That made for a very nice tangy note in the dish. I agree with other posters - do not skip the tomato salad topping. It finishes the dish perfectly.

I could not find pearled farro, even in my bougie Portland Oregon locally owned grocery. I followed other suggestions to use pearled barley. It takes so much more time and now I’m triaging kid hunger with other dinner options. The jury is still out on this one.

Add salt to taste, not 1 tsp, to the farro. It ended up too salty while the chicken didn’t soak up the herb flavors. I added massaged kale to balance out the salt and add a green, then deboned the chicken so it became more of a very flavorful harvest salad.I’ll use the earlier comment’s advice on finishing the dish in the oven without the lid. The crispy chicken skin became soggy under the lid, which was so sad. The tomato mixture with fennel cumin farro was delicious.

Maybe my least-liked NYT dish. [I love most.] It comes out dark, heavy, and bland. I've made it twice. 1. Pour off the chicken fat before you brown the leeks; it's just too rich and fatty. 2. It's under-flavored; punch up the spices. 3. As others suggest, steaming for so long makes the crisped chicken skin flabby; try the oven. 4. The garnish is lovely but insufficient to the task of brightening the body of this dark dish; maybe squeeze a half-lemon on top before serving and stir it in.

Following the recommendations from Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat I used 1 1/3 tsp of fine sea salt (La Baleine) per pound to salt the bone-in chicken thighs, and let them sit in the fridge in the salt for a day before cooking. I also added the teaspoon of salt in with the farro as instructed. I don't know where I went wrong, but it ended up being too salty for me. I would make this again, just with less salt next time. Also accidentally threw away the leek greens...yikes. Shouldn't have.

Great weeknight meal. Based upon items on hand, I made a few substitutions. I used pork chops and tofu vs chicken thighs (my daughter is vegetarian, but doesn’t mind her tofu being cooked alongside my sons animal protein). I used 2 onions vs leeks because I didn’t want to run to the store. I added a serano chili for heat. Great meal and even better leftovers.

Have made this half a dozen times now, and it's always perfect. It's a great cook on the weekend, eat as leftovers during the workweek recipe for me. I use skinless boneless chicken thighs so I don't have the extra fat or soggy skin or bones in the garbage - I'm too lazy for that. Otherwise, I stick to the recipe as written. Delicious!

Melissa Clark rocks! I have made this several times. It is so easy and flavorful. Because there are only 2 of us, we get 2 meals out of this. Just reheat in the oven. As is often the case, the second time around is better than the first because the farro has a chance to really soak up the flavors. Only recommendation I would have is to make more of the fresh leek and tomato garnish which means buying an extra leek.