Best Chicken Thighs With Sausage And Braised Fennel Recipes

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CARAMELIZED FENNEL

Steps:

• Trim fennel bulbs, and set aside fronds. In a blender or food processor, pulse about 1/2 cup fronds, garlic, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Add 1/3 cup oil and purée.
• Halve fennel bulbs lengthwise. Slice thinly with a mandoline or very sharp knife.
• Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 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.
• Stir fennel seeds into skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Add sliced fennel and onion, seasoning with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 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.
• 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.
• Serve chicken and vegetables topped with generous dollops of the fennel frond purée.

CHICKEN THIGH AND FENNEL SAUSAGE CACCIATORE "HUNTER STYLE"

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the olive oil and sausages to a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat and sear until browned, about 3 minutes. Remove the sausages to a plate and set aside. Sprinkle the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper, then sear the chicken in the Dutch oven, 4 to 5 minutes per side; remove to a plate and set aside.
• Now, add the mushrooms, pearl onions, red peppers, roasted garlic and pepper flakes to the pot; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are softened and the pearl onions translucent, 4 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes, deglazing the pan.
• In a large roasting pan add the browned sausages and chicken thighs, the sauteed vegetables, and the chicken stock and marinara sauce. Tie the thyme and rosemary into a bundle using butcher's twine and add it to the pan. Stir all the ingredients together and transfer the roasting pan to the oven. Cook until the chicken thighs are cooked through and tender and the sauce has thickened, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the herb bundle.
• Serve the cacciatore on a large serving platter, garnished with parsley.

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SAUSAGE AND BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut the stalks off fennel and save a small amount of fronds for garnish. Slice the remaining fennel into 1 inch wedges.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown over med high heat in olive oil about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add fennel and onion. Season with salt. Cook stirring often until onion softens and caramelizes about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add wine and deglaze the pan scrapping up bits from bottom. Cook until wine is almost evaporated.
• Add 1 1/2 cups broth to pan, add the potato and the rosemary. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and simmer until potatoes are semi tender about 15 minuts.
• Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the vegetables and broth to a food proccessor and process until smooth. Add back to pan and add remaining broth. Nestle the chicken back into pan and any accumulated juices. Cover the pot and adjust the heat maintain a slow simmer for 15 minutes
• Slice the sausages into 1 inch pieces. Add to pan and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes. Until chicken is done.
• Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cheese. Serve

BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS WITH GRAPES AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Season chicken legs all over with 3 tsp. salt.
• Swirl 1 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot to coat and heat over medium-high. Place 2 chicken legs, skin side down, in pot, making sure skin is in direct contact with pan. Cook, undisturbed, until dark golden, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook until golden on other side, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Repeat with remaining 2 chicken legs; reserve pot.
• Meanwhile, working one at a time, stand a bulb, root end down, on a cutting board and slice off a short end to create a flat surface. Turn cut side down and slice ½" thick, starting from the top end of bulb so the root end can hold the layers in place while you slice. Discard last ¼" (root end) of each bulb and pop out and discard tougher center from slices. Transfer fennel to a large bowl and add half of the grapes, ½ tsp. salt, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil; toss to coat. Set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium and combine broth, honey, chile paste, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in reserved pot. Stir to combine and dissolve salt. Place remaining grapes in pot and arrange chicken legs, skin side up and overlapping if needed, over grapes. Top with dressed fennel and grapes. (Don't worry if it looks crowded: Fennel will soften as it cooks.)
• Transfer pot, uncovered, to oven and roast until fennel is slightly softened, with some crispy, caramelized edges, grapes on top are swollen and browned in spots, and chicken is cooked through, 30-40 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer grapes and fennel to a bowl and chicken to a platter. Place pot over medium-high heat and bring braising liquid to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half (you should have about 1 cup liquid), 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and fennel fronds.
• Spoon sauce over chicken and serve with fennel and grapes alongside.

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.