Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Fennel and Coriander
One thing you might notice about my recipes is the word “taste”. I want you to taste your food throughout the cooking process. You should season your food throughout as well, and build the flavor as you go. If the dish tastes bland, add a pinch of kosher salt until you can start to taste the flavors. If it tastes a little flat, add lemon juice to make it taste brighter. I also always recommend using kosher salt. Table salt has iodine which can make food taste bitter. Kosher salt has a less salty taste and doesn’t contain iodine.
Please taste as you go. You’ll notice a huge change in your cooking!
Recipe by Tierney Larson
Servings 4
Ingredients:
4-5 bone in skin on chicken thighs
kosher salt
1 tbl olive oil
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced.
1/2 tbl fennel seeds
1 tbl coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine (pinot grigio or sauvingnon blanc)
1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
1 lemon, halved
4 tbl unsalted butter
A handful of cilantro leaves and tender stems chopped
A smaller handful (hehe) of fennel fronds chopped
Ok so…
Season chicken thighs on both sides with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat, then add the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering and you just start to see very tiny wisps of smoke, add the chicken thighs skin side down. Leave them skin side down for about 5 minutes until they get a nice golden brown crust. Flip them over and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes to brown the other side.
Remove the chicken and place on a plate. Lower the heat to medium and let the temperature come down a bit, then add the onion and fennel and a pinch of kosher salt. Let the onion and fennel cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally, until softened.
Next add the garlic, bay leaf, fennel and coriander seeds and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Then add the white wine and let simmer and reduce by half, for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken back in, and scatter around the potatoes. Give a good pinch of kosher salt on the potatoes and then add the broth, coming up about half way up the chicken thighs.
Bring to a simmer and then lower the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken and potatoes using a slotted spoon, and set on a serving platter. Taste the sauce and add a pinch of salt if necessary and a squeeze of lemon. Then add the butter one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly, waiting until one is fully incorporated before adding the next piece. Once the butter is emulsified into the sauce, taste again and add more salt or lemon juice if necessary.
Add about half of the chopped cilantro and fennel fronds into the sauce and then pour on and around the chicken and potatoes. Top with the remaining herbs and serve.
