Best 4 Aromatic Fennel Chicken Recipes

CHICKEN FENNEL BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Cut the fennel into thick slices. Shingle them onto the center of the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
• Zest 2 of the lemons and set aside, then juice these lemons into a medium bowl. Whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Halve the remaining 3 lemons and add them to the bowl along with the potatoes and carrots. Toss to coat. Spread the vegetables and lemon halves around the outside of the baking sheet. Put the chicken thighs in the same bowl along with the reserved lemon zest and more salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Put the chicken on top of the fennel skin-side up, leaving a little space between pieces.
• Bake, stirring the potatoes and carrots halfway through, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Serve the chicken with the vegetables and roasted lemon halves.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle bottom of shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with about half the olive oil and cover it with a layer of the fennel. Overlap pieces if necessary but use whole pan. Drizzle remaining oil over fennel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut up chicken if necessary and sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper.
• Top fennel with the chicken parts, skin side up. Ideally, you'll have a layer of fennel pretty much covered by a layer of chicken, but it's fine if some of the fennel roasts uncovered. Spoon some of the oil from bottom of pan over chicken. If there is not enough, drizzle additional olive oil over the chicken. Roast about 15 minutes, then baste chicken with pan drippings and rotate the pan. If necessary, adjust oven temperature so chicken browns but does not burn.
• The chicken will be done in about 30 minutes. Serve each piece with some fennel and a little of the pan juices spooned over, garnished with parsley and a lemon wedge.

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CARAMELIZED FENNEL

Steps:

• Trim fennel bulbs, and set aside fronds. In a blender or food processor, pulse about 1/2 cup fronds, garlic, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Add 1/3 cup oil and purée.
• Halve fennel bulbs lengthwise. Slice thinly with a mandoline or very sharp knife.
• Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 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.
• Stir fennel seeds into skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Add sliced fennel and onion, seasoning with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 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.
• 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.
• Serve chicken and vegetables topped with generous dollops of the fennel frond purée.

BAKED CHICKEN WITH FENNEL BUTTER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray rack in shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.
• Gently loosen skin from chicken with fingers. In small bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Spread butter mixture between chicken breast meat and skin; cover breast with skin. Place chicken, skin side up, on rack in pan.
• Bake uncovered 50 to 60 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (170°F).