Chicken with Fennel & Tarragon

Crispy skin on oven roasted chicken served with fennel, onions, tarragon and garlic in a white wine sauce

If you haven’t had a chance to cook with fennel I would highly recommend you give it a go

When working with raw fennel you will notice a anise type of aroma but have no fear this vegetable will not make your meals taste like licorice

When cooked fennel really mellows out and lends a wonderful flavor to a dish

To bring out these flavors we are also using tarragon which also imparts an anise type flavor but is bright and herbaceous

These flavors go great with chicken so let’s start there

We are using 4 chicken legs and 4 chicken thighs that are bone in and skin on

These have been trimmed of any excess fat

Sprinkle with kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika

Preheat your oven to 350 F

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in an oven proof pan

We are going to sear these in batches

Lay the thighs in skin side down

Sprinkle the back with some more seasonings

Sear 2-4 minutes then flip and sear 2 minutes more

Repeat with the chicken legs

Sear 2-4 minutes

Season the back side

Flip and sear another 2 minutes then remove and set aside

Next up we will need 1 fennel bulb

Cut the stems off and the base and discard keeping the bulb

Halve the bulb

Then quarter

Then slice into strips

We will also need 1 onion peeled and sliced, 4 sliced garlic cloves, the juice and zest of 1 lemon and 4 fresh chopped tarragon sprigs

Add the fennel, onion and garlic into the pan that the chicken was in

Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper

Cook 4-6 minutes or until the vegetables start to lightly brown and become translucent

Add in the lemon zest, juice and tarragon and cook for 2 minutes

Next we will need 1/2 cup of a dry white wine (like a Chardonnay) and 1/2 cup of chicken stock

Click on our link to make Homemade Chicken Stock

Add the wine to the pan, bring to a boil then reduce and simmer for 6-8 minutes to allow the alcohol to cook off

Why cook the alcohol out of wine used in a food dish?

Not cooking to alcohol off as much as you can can leave your dish with an astringent alcohol flavor when what your really looking for is to bring out the other flavors in the wine to help flavor the dish and create a well balanced sauce

Next add the stock in, bring to a boil then remove from the heat

Nestle the chicken into the pan skin side up

Place in the oven and cook 20-25 minutes to start

Flip the chicken and cook 8-10 minutes

Then flip the chicken back over and cook another 15 minutes or until the skin is browned and crispy and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 F

Remove the chicken and allow to rest for 10 minutes

While the chicken is resting let’s go ahead and chop around 1 tablespoon each of fresh parsley and fresh tarragon

Sprinkle the herbs over the chicken and serve!

Enjoy!!!

Tools used for making this recipe

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop

Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Tagine and Extra Glass Lid, 4.5-Quart

Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

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