Chicken Breasts With Fennel Carrots And Couscous Food

MOROCCAN-INSPIRED CHICKEN COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Make the seasoning rub. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, and spices. Whisk to combine.
• Pat the chicken dry and season with kosher salt and black pepper on both side. Pour about 3/4 of the rub you just made all over the chicken (reserve the rest for later) and toss to make sure all the pieces are well coated. Set aside for now.
• Put the vegetables and onions in a mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt and black pepper and pour the remaining seasoning rub. Toss to combine.
• Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a large baking pan or rimmed sheet pan.
• Bake in the center of the heated-oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the juices run clear. The vegetables should also soften and gain some char.
• While the chicken and veggies are baking, prepare the couscous. Boil the water or both until bubbling. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the couscous and cook, tossing regularly, until the couscous is toasted to golden brown. Season with kosher salt and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add the boiled water. Immediately turn the heat off and cover the saucepan. Leave the couscous undisturbed for 10 minutes, the couscous should absorb all the liquid. When ready, add the fresh parsley and fluff the couscous with a fork.
• When the chicken is fully cooked through, remove it from the oven. Spoon the couscous between the chicken pieces and allow it about 5 minutes to sop up some of the pan juices. Finish with the raisins, if you like.

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.

SAUTEED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH FENNEL AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 2 1/2 teaspoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Add the fennel and half of the rosemary.
• Cook, stirring frequently, until the fennel is golden brown and almost done, about 10 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the fennel is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the fennel and the cooking liquid from the pan.
• Heat the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over moderate heat. Pound chicken breasts so they are of an even thickness. Season the chicken with the 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Add the chicken to the pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon of rosemary and cook until brown, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until almost done, about 3 minutes longer.
• Add the garlic; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the fennel and its cooking liquid and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer. Move the fennel so that it sits on top of the chicken. Cover the pan and simmer on very low heat for 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH FENNEL SAUCE

Steps:

• If the chicken breast halves are connected, separate and trim membrane or fat. Salt and pepper.
• Trim the fennel and save 4 green leaves for chopping, leaving only the white bulb at the bottom. Cut the bulb into 1/4-inch cubes. There should be about 1 1/2 cups.
• Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the shallots.
• Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the fennel around them. Continue cooking, shaking the skillet and redistributing the fennel, until it is cooked evenly. Cook about 3 minutes. Add the wine, broth, bay leaf, thyme and Tabasco sauce. Cover tightly and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Turn the pieces occasionally.
• Transfer the chicken to a warm platter, cover with foil and keep warm.
• With a slotted spoon, remove about 1/2 cup of the fennel cubes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Pour the remaining fennel mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the butter and blend to a very fine puree. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, season with salt and pepper as needed. Add any liquid that may have accumulated around the chicken. Add the reserved fennel cubes and the chopped fennel leaves. Bring to a simmer and spoon the sauce over the chicken breasts. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH FENNEL AND LEMON

Steps:

• Zest lemon and slice zest into matchsticks. Juice lemon, strain and reserve.
• Lightly sprinkle chicken with salt. Put deep frying pan over medium-high heat, pour in oil and gently sauté chicken breasts, about two minutes per side, until they are about half-cooked. Remove from pan.
• Pour off oil and discard, then add fennel, wine and lemon zest to pan. Bring to boil over high heat and cook until wine is reduced by about half and fennel is tender. Add broth and cinnamon, bring to boil and cook about 5 minutes to reduce sauce a bit.
• Add chicken with its juices and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat egg yolks with half the lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon), then ladle in about 1/4 cup of sauce. Mix well, then add to pan, mixing well. Cook over medium heat, stirring a bit, until sauce appears creamy. Taste and add more lemon juice, if you like.