Braised Chicken Thighs With Caramelized Fennel
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 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
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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.
Powered byPreparation
- 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
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Cooking Notes
Suzanne M
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.
Donna Harrison
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!
cecilia
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.
Margaux Laskey
I made this last night. It was absolutely delicious. Full of complex flavors. I didn't have the Pernod so I just added a tablespoon of chicken broth. Don't leave out the fresh squeezed lemon juice at the end. It really adds brightness.
Malia, Madison, WI
I wasn't sure how to trim the fennel bulb so I clicked on You Tube for 'trimming fennel bulbs' and lo and behold, there was a link to Melissa Clark's video showing exactly how to do it! Now I'll confidently proceed with the recipe and report back with the results. See ya later....
Brad
Pernod, Ricard, 51, Herbsaint, whatever anis liquor you have, really does make a difference here. Also, I upped the lemon zest and pepper amounts -- better flavor.
Regina
This was absolutely delicious. I made it with skinless and boneless thighs (I thought skinless might be a mistake but I had them on hand) and it was great. I also had no Pernod, but used a bit of white wine which made the sauce wonderful. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
Frank
The cooking times in this recipe are far too short: the braising phase for the chickenneeds to be 30 minutes and maybe a bit more!
Jacqueline
If your fennel doesn't happen to come with much fronds, I found that adding some green parts of about 4 or 5 scallions plus a handful of Italian parsley works great too. The idea is to have enough green matter to get to puree stage - just using the meager fronds that came with my fennel it was more like green oil. Add parsley until you get to the consistency you want. But whatever you do, don't skip the green sauce as it cuts through the sweetness and oiliness of the braised veggies.
Beth
Had no Pernod but with the fennel it didn't really need it. But next time I'll try to have it on hand and see what the difference is. Another recipe that is easy to half for just the two of us.
Sandi Kramer
Where does one find skin-on boned chicken thighs? Or breasts?
Linda
Why on earth would you want to cut off the fat?
tdalec
One fennel bulb and the fennel seed was enough anise flavor for us. I used two onions, instead. I used white wine in place of the Pernod and the water. My chicken took longer than 10 minutes to cook through but less than the 30 that some people have recommended. You just have to keep an eye on it. In the end, family loved it.
Anne Rabe
Very delicious. Didn't make the fennel frond sauce. Next time will use a large cast iron pan to caramelize the fennel/onions a bit more. Added 4 crushed garlic cloves to fennel/onions. Did put the pan in a hot oven for about 5 minutes to help crisp up the skin. (Made the Gjelina's Roasted Yams to go with so the oven was very hot.) I used skin on, bone in thighs. Next time I won't cover the pan but will up the cooking time a bit to compensate and to keep the skin more crisp.
Dede Bacro
Felt lazy today... chopped the fennel and onion as I have NO sharp knives, also added 5 cloves of chopped garlic... No lemon zest as I never taste it anyway... added juice of a whole lemon at the end... no frond puree because my family doesn't eat it... added beaucoup de Pernod, also chicken broth... it was delicious over jasmine rice...
Barbara C
I thought this was a bit bland. If I make it again, I will use more lemon and garlic.
charlie lawrence
I don’t really understand all the 5 star reviews. This was decent but not fabulous. The fennel-onion mixture was delicious but the chicken was meh. I did use bone-in thighs so not sure if that made a difference???
Rosie
Fantastic as written. BUT as w/all NYT recipes do not cover thighs after crisping. Defeats the purpose. Put thighs on fennel mixture. Put in 375 oven for 20 min. Also, don’t try to caramelize fennel mix in non stick. Use stainless pan or enameled cast iron. Takes longer than stated but will continue in the oven. Fennel/garlic topping a must. Make several hrs early. Only use enough EVOO for non-runny consistency. Served with my fav NYT Creamy Turmeric Pasta. Wow. Make this.
Jody
I enjoyed cooking this. I thought it was excellent. Question? How would one go about cooking this dish for company? Thanks Jody
Bryan
Love this approach to cooking where you caramelize aromatics and add stuff to it. I used 4 bone in thighs because I have no idea where you get 6 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs. Used vermouth rather than Pernod and finished the whole thing in a 450 deg oven which really crisped up the skin! Also you will need more than the fronds for the pesto. I used scallion greens and added some lemon juice to it. Was delicious!
Pat K
Sorry to criticize a recipe from the usually infallible Melissa Clark, but wow, what this ever a disappointment! The texture of the finished was wet and slimy. I am an experienced home cook and I followed the directions. The ingredients are all things I like, but cooking with the lid on after adding 3 tablespoons or water made the whole thing soggy. The sauce didn't help much as it was very heavy on the olive oil. I can't figure out why so many other people liked it.
Anne C
This was delicious, I’ll definitely make it again. Followed the recipe exactly, aside from skipping the Pernod, which I didn’t have on hand. Loved it! Oh, but I second whoever said that the purée requires a LOT more dill frond than is called for. As written, I got ~3 spoonfuls and it was much too garlicky to eat.
Harriet Kronman
Followed recipe to a “t”, but added halved small red bliss potatoes because I needed to use them up. I cooked them along with fennel and onions and continued braising with chicken. Delicious
meinmunich
It had a crazy good fragrance while cooking but the taste wasn't the same. Strange. Enjoyed nonetheless and will try again.
Melissa
Incredible flavors and brightness from the fennel frond puree. Wow, did we LOVE this! I added some chard in the fridge to the veggies at the end of step 4 and broiled the chicken for 2 minutes at the end to crisp it up at the end of step 5... perfection!
Ingrid
Made a version in the slow cooker, finished with spinach and gnocci stirred in at the end. Left out Pernod and fennel seeds to accommodate kids. Excellent.
Sam
Excellent! Don't skip the anise liqueur or lemon. The changes I made: —Added watercress to make a proper green sauce—an addition I highly recommend! (My fennel lacked fronds.) Halved the oil & pureed with a stick blender. —Used skinless boneless thighs—a 1.4-lb package with only 4 thighs. They worked well but tended to stick; I had to deglaze after removing them & before adding the veg. —Hence, deglazed twice, doubling the absinthe used. It wasn't overpowering. —Cooked everything longer.
es
Delicious. Bone-in, skin on thighs, browned in oven-proof pan. All the fronds for the sauce. Toasted fennel seeds and made onion-fennel mix; added Pernod. Put chicken on top (did not add any water) and baked (covered) at 400 until chicken reached 165. Then put under broiler for a few minutes. Served over plain white rice on a platter. Squirted lemon juice over all and then spooned fennel puree atop chicken pieces. Attractive and very tasty.
Sallie
Loved the chicken and fennel, which we served with little steamed potatoes. Not sure our fennel sauce came out right—it was very bitter and oily, although better on the second day. Will try again, maybe with fresher fennel…
Gabriella R.
added a side of basmati rice and mixed the frond puree into the rice and placed the chicken and vegetables over the rice. Used vegetable stock instead of water when braising the chicken over the vegetables. Love this recipe! Very tasty!
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