Chicken flavored with fennel and garlic is a very Jewish Friday night dish, one eaten by Rashi and his family in the eleventh century. I have found recipes for it in many historical cookbooks, but the inspiration for this version was a particularly tasty one from the late Richard Olney, who lived in Provence. There is something very comforting about the long-simmered fennel and garlic topped by the sautéed chicken.
Recipe information
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the fennel bulbs and the garlic, and sauté slowly over medium heat for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs. Season with salt and pepper, and carefully transfer to a baking pan, shaking the excess oil back into the skillet.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sauté in the oil until browned on all sides.
Step 3
Arrange the chicken on top of the fennel and garlic. Deglaze the skillet with the wine, scraping the sides and bottom with a wooden spoon. Reduce the wine and juices by half, and pour over the chicken. Then cover the chicken with aluminum foil, and bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue cooking for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the fennel cooked. Serve sprinkled with the parsley and the chopped fronds.
