Aromatic Fennel Chicken Food

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.

AROMATIC FENNEL CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. , Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken on all sides in reserved drippings; remove and keep warm. Add fennel and onions to the pan; cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until onions are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer., Stir in the wine, lemon juice and zest, bay leaves, thyme and cayenne. Return chicken to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm. , Cook the fennel mixture, uncovered, until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Stir in capers and reserved bacon. Discard bay leaves. Serve with chicken.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH FENNEL & OLIVES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Toss 2 tbsp of the oil with the fennel and garlic and spread out on a tray. Rub the chicken with a further 2 tbsp oil, push the lemon halves and thyme into the carcass and season the skin generously. Sit the chicken in the tin and roast for 1 hr, then stir through the tomatoes and olives, season and return to the oven for 20-25 mins, or until the chicken is cooked through. To check, pierce the thigh with a skewer - the juices should run clear.
• Cook the polenta following pack instructions, then stir through the remaining olive oil and parmesan and season to taste. Carve the chicken and serve with the tomato sauce and cheesy polenta.

MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKEN AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Combine spices with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Season chicken to coat both sides.
• Preheat large nonstick skillet, add olive oil. Cook chicken breasts about 5 minutes each side. Remove chicken and keep warm.
• Add the fennel and onions to the pan and saute for 7 mnutes or so. The fennel should be tender but not mushy. If the pan appears to be too dry, add a tablespoon of water. Should be enough to moisten without steaming the vegetables.
• Boil two cups of water with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add couscous to water and turn off heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff the grains before serving.
• Add juice, broth and the last 1/4 teasppon salt and bring to a boil for about 1 minute. Add constarch mixed in 1 tablespoon of water. Stir until it just begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add chicken and chopped fennel , cook 2 more minutes.
• Spoon coucous onto plate, with chicken and fennel and onions. Spoon portion of sauce on top.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH FENNEL AND SPRING ONIONS

Steps:

• Allow the chicken to come to room temperature, up to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat it dry. Remove the wing tips, reserving them with the neck for broth if desired (see Note). Coat the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the butter, and season it inside and out with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
• Coat a large, heavy roasting pan with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Trim the fennel and spring onion bulbs, reserving the fennel fronds and green onion tops. Cut each fennel bulb and the onions in half lengthwise and then into 1/2-inch-wide lengthwise slices. In a medium bowl, toss the fennel, onion bulbs, and garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to coat. Arrange the vegetables in the roasting pan, put the chicken on top, and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, slice the green onion tops into thin rings, and tear the fennel fronds into small sprigs to make about 3 cups total.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and give the vegetables a stir so that they color evenly. Roast for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is done-the skin will be crisp and deep golden brown, the juices will have just a tinge of light pink, and an instant-read thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh will read 165°F.
• Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the chicken to a platter, tent it with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, if the fennel and onions are not yet golden brown, return them to the oven to roast for another few minutes on their own until they are well caramelized.
• Put the roasting pan over medium-high heat and add the wine and stock, scraping the bottom of the pan and stirring the vegetables. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until the sauce has a slightly syrupy consistency. Add the fennel fronds and green onion tops. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, swirling it in until it dissolves and thickens the sauce.
• Carve the chicken into serving pieces, adding any juices that accumulate on the carving board to the sauce. With a slotted spoon, spread the vegetables on a warm serving platter. Arrange the chicken over the vegetables, and spoon the sauce on top.

CHICKEN, HAM AND FENNEL POT PIES

Steps:

• Bring broth to boil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add fennel; cook 7 minutes. Add chicken and carrot; simmer until fennel, chicken and carrot are tender, about 10 minutes. Pour into strainer set over bowl; reserve broth for another use.
• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 2 minutes. Gradually add milk and whisk until sauce thickens, about 4 minutes. Add lemon juice, fennel seeds and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add chicken mixture and ham. Season with salt and pepper. Divide filling among eight 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes or glass custard cups. Cool completely.
• Roll out pie crust on flour surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 8 rounds, each measuring 1/2 to 1 inch larger in diameter than soufflé dishes, gathering dough and rerolling as necessary. Cut out leaf decorations from dough scraps, if desired. Lay 1 dough overhang firmly to adhere to sides and top rim of dish. If using, brush bottom side of cutouts with water and place on dough; cut slits in dough for steam to escape. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover each with plastic; chill.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pies on large baking sheet. Brush crusts with glaze. Bake until pies heated through and crusts are golden, about 40 minutes.
• To make pie crust:
• Combine flour and salt in processor and blend. Add butter and shortening and process, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons water; blend in. Add enough additional water by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until cold, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. Makes 8 small cups.