Chicken Ragù With Fennel Food

CHICKEN RAGù WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Put the oil in a wide saucepan or deep skillet that will fit six thighs snugly and turn the heat to medium. Add the bacon and cook it until it's crisp, 5 to 6 minutes, then, using a slotted spoon, transfer it to a small bowl.
• Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, skin-side down, to begin to brown. After 3 or 4 minutes, turn it and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat.
• Add the onion and fennel and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and just starting to turn golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for another minute or so.
• Pour in wine and simmer, stirring and scraping up any browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the bacon and then the chicken with any accumulated juices, skin-side up, keeping the thighs in a single layer. Pour in enough water to almost cover the chicken.
• Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat down so the liquid is bubbling very gently. Partially cover with a lid, setting it so some steam can escape. Cook until the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.
• Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool. Once you can handle it, remove the bones and skin and shred the chicken by hand.
• If you are serving the ragù over pasta, get your water going: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions, reserving 1 cup pasta water before draining.
• Add milk to the pan and turn the burner to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until sauce is nearly reduced by half and slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the shredded chicken back to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the butter, then the Parmesan. If serving over pasta, add some of the starchy pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.
• Add the parsley, and toss sauce with the pasta, if using. Pass more Parmesan at the table.

CHICKEN WITH CHICKPEA AND TOMATO RAGU

Steps:

• Toss the chicken breasts with the salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Heat a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and heat an additional 30 seconds. Add the onion, garlic and fennel to the hot pan. Season with salt and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are beginning to soften and are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the oregano and garlic powder to the vegetables and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the vegetables are translucent and beginning to brown slightly, another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the vinegar. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Using the back of a wooden spoon, crush the tomatoes into medium-sized pieces. Simmer for 10 minutes while you start the chicken.
• Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil and heat an additional 30 seconds. Add the chicken to the hot skillet and cook, undisturbed, until deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until the chicken is evenly browned on both sides, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully ladle the tomato mixture over and around the chicken, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and butter and cook to heat through, 2 more minutes. Did you taste it? Season with additional salt, garlic powder or garlic salt if needed. Stir in the basil and serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.

CHICKEN, FENNEL AND TOMATO RAGOUT

Steps:

• Trim the green tops off the fennel and reserve. Halve, then quarter the fennel, cut out the core, then cut lengthways into slices.
• Prepare the chicken for cooking by seasoning with salt, pepper, paprika and crushed fennel seed.
• Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet, add the chicken, then fry quickly until lightly opaque and browned for about 2 minutes. (Note the chicken will not be cooked through.) Add the fennel, onions and garlic, then stir briefly until the fennel has a bit of color - as much from cooking as from taking on the spices from the chicken bites.
• Add in the potatoes, diced roasted tomatoes, broth and a tomato paste, and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender to the fork but not breaking apart.
• Stir in the roasted peppers and heat through.
• Roughly chop the reserved fennel fronds, about 1 tablespoon or so, then sprinkle over the ragout. Serve in shallow bowls or plates with high lips along with crusty bread for mopping up the juices.

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.

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, FENNEL & TOMATO RAGOUT

Steps:

• Trim the green tops off the fennel and reserve. Halve, then quarter the fennel, cut out the core, then cut lengthways into slices. Heat the oil in a pan, add the chicken, then fry quickly until lightly coloured. Add the fennel and garlic, then stir briefly until the fennel is glistening.
• Tip in the potatoes, tomatoes, stock and a little seasoning, and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 20 mins until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the peppers and heat through. Roughly chop the reserved fennel fronds, then sprinkle over the ragout. Serve with crusty bread for mopping up the juices.

PAPPARDELLE WITH CHICKEN RAGù, FENNEL, AND PEAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a wide large saucepan or a Dutch oven over medium. Cook bacon, stirring often, until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Season chicken all over with salt, then set in pan, skin side down. Cook, turning halfway through, until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
• Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. fat from pan. Add onions and chopped fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, 6-8 minutes. Add thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in wine and simmer, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Return bacon and chicken to pan (chicken should fit snugly in a single layer); pour in water to barely cover chicken. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and set lid askew. Cook until chicken is tender, 45-60 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a clean plate; let cool. Finely shred chicken meat; discard bones and skin.
• Add milk to pan and set over medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until sauce is nearly reduced by half and slightly thickened, 8-12 minutes.
• Mix peas and chicken into sauce and cook until peas are just tender, about 4 minutes for fresh peas and 2 minutes for frozen. Season ragù with salt and plenty of pepper. Keep warm while you cook the pasta.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Add pasta, butter, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, and 1/2 cup pasta water to ragù and mix to coat pasta with sauce. Increase heat to medium (sauce should be bubbling just a little) and continue cooking, stirring and adding more cooking liquid as needed if sauce is too thick, until butter and cheese are melted and incorporated into ragù and pasta is well coated in sauce. Add parsley and toss to evenly distribute through pasta.
• Divide pasta among bowls. Top with fennel fronds and shaved Parmesan.
• Do Ahead
• Ragù can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat gently before using.