Braised Chicken Thighs With Caramelized Fennel
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2large fennel bulbs
- 1large clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6boneless chicken thighs (about 1¼ pounds)
- ½teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1onion, thinly sliced
- 1tablespoon Pernod
- 1tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
508 calories; 42 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 630 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Trim fennel bulbs, and set aside fronds. In a blender or food processor, pulse about ½ cup fronds, garlic, lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Add ⅓ cup oil and purée.
- Step 2
Halve fennel bulbs lengthwise. Slice thinly with a mandoline or very sharp knife.
- Step 3
Season chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown chicken until skin is crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, leaving drippings in pan.
- Step 4
Stir fennel seeds into skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Add sliced fennel and onion, seasoning with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Add Pernod and scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the skillet; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute.
- Step 5
Lay chicken on top of the fennel-onion mixture. Pour 3 tablespoons water into the pan. Cover skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until chicken is just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover and cook off any excess liquid if necessary. Stir in lemon juice.
- Step 6
Serve chicken and vegetables topped with generous dollops of the fennel frond purée.
Private Notes
Comments
I modified quite a bit and it still turned out well:
no fennel seeds (used ground fennel)
too lazy to bring out the food processor (chopped the fronds and mixed with minced garlic and olive oil)
no whole lemons (skipped the zest)
only one fennel bulb (added some mushrooms)
no Pernod (added some bean cooking liquid and a few spoonfuls of pinto beans)
What can I say? It was a Wednesday.
This was Terrific! That said, I did braise the chicken with the fennel for about 30 minutes. As others have mentioned 8-10 minutes is just not long enough, even after the browning at the beginning. The caramelized onion and fennel really add an earthy note to the chicken. YUM!
Great recipe. No Pernod here either, but vermouth worked very well. The fennel frond sauce looks quite elegant so you can drizzle it on the plates for company. Two suggestions:
- I initially used 1/2 cup fronds as directed and the sauce was far too thin. I had to add all the fronds from the two bulbs to get the pesto-like consistency shown in the photo.
- Covering the skillet in step 5 causes the crispy skin to go soggy. Instead cook uncovered 15-20 minutes.
This was fantastic. I had Absinthe on hand. I must have drank all my Permod earlier this summer. The caramelized fennel and onions are a great match for the sautéed chicken. I used bone-in and skin-on thighs. They took a little longer to get to 165 degrees. It just made the fennel taste that much better. What makes this dish so good is that no one flavor stands out. Everything melds together. I served it with rice. I had leftovers. instead of rice, I made Esquites. I also served it with halved cocktail tomatoes, basil, and olive oil.
Used skinless thighs and subbed white wine for Pernod (had to look it up, a new one for me and turns out I'm already infusing my own "fennel liqueur" without realizing Pernod was a thing!). I think the sauce wasn't all that impactful, but perhaps if I'd used more lemon that would have helped. Good enough that I'll make it again, but didn't really knock it out of the park for me.
Excellent flavor but tweaked the recipe. Used 1 fennel bulb for 4 thighs. Added mushrooms, sundried tomatoes sliced, and olives because they were in the fridge. For the sauce included all the fennel fronds, but it was still too oily, so added parsley (as suggested by someone else) and some capers. It worked well but next time will chop parsley smaller. Used my own chicken broth instead of water and vermouth instead of Pernod (which I don't own). Timing in the recipe was fine.