Crispy Chicken

We wanted to try a second dish from the Ad Hoc at home cookbook by Thomas Keller. We decided to make: Crispy braised chicken thighs with olives, lemon and fennel.

We started with a salad using a technique that we experienced at Palate. We made a Salad with Lettuce, Dates, Almonds, Tangerines, and shaved Parmesan cheese. The dressing was different. Instead of using vinegar with the oil, we used fresh squeezed orange juice. It gave the acidity that was needed and created a very fresh taste. I don’t remember using fresh juice before, we will in the future. It paired well with the tangerines in the salad.

The chicken recipe is great. It is baked in the oven and then finished under the broiler to get the skin (which I love, real crisp). The olives, lemon and fennel made for a very provincial taste. My kind of food. Cathy made a Mushroom Farro Risotto to go with the Chicken. It is definitely a recipe we will make again.

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Crispy braised chicken thighs with olives, lemon and fennel
From Ad Hoc at home by Thomas Keller

3 large fennel bulbs
12 chicken thighs
Kosher salt
Canola oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup Ascolane or other large green olives, such as Cerignola
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves
4 strips lemon zest—removed with a vegetable peeler
8 thyme sprigs
1 cup Chicken Stock
About 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

Olives, here big fleshy green Ascolanes from Italy, and fennel are an extraordinary pairing with chicken. In this one-pot dish, we use only the thighs, the most flavorful part of the chicken. The seared chicken is braised in chicken stock on a bed of fennel, onion, and garlic, with strips of lemon zest. The stock picks up the lemon and fennel flavors and becomes concentrated and rich. Here the flavors are Mediterranean, but the technique itself can.be taken in any number of seasoning directions.

Cut off the fennel stalks. Trim the bottom of the bulbs and peel back the layers until you reach the core; reserve the core for another use. Discard any bruised layers, and cut the fennel into 2-by-1/2 inch batons. You need 3 cups fennel for this recipe; reserve any remaining fennel for another use.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Set a cooling rack on a baking sheet.

Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt. Heat some canola oil in a large ovenproof saute pan or roasting pan that will hold all the thighs in one layer over medium-high heat. Add the thighs skin-side-down and brown on the skin side, about 4 minutes. Turn the thighs over and cook for about 1 minute to sear the meat. Transfer to the cooling rack.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the onion to the pan, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the fennel, turn the heat up to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the fennel is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.

Pour in the wine and simmer for about 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Stir in the olives, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, lemon zest, and thyme, then pour in the chicken stock. Increase the heat, bring the liquid to a simmer, and cook until the fennel is tender, about 1 minute.

Taste the stock and season with salt as needed. Return the chicken to the pan skin-side-up, in a single layer. When the liquid returns to a simmer, transfer to the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Turn on the broiler, and put the pan under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp and brown the chicken skin. Remove from the oven, and transfer to a serving platter.

Garnish with the parsley leaves. serves 6