Roast Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Citrus

Fresh fennel, and lemon and orange slices roasted with chicken thighs deliver a lively, bright, savory meal. Recipe below.

WE COOK WITH FENNEL QUITE A BIT, judging from our archives. The licorice or anise flavor (some stores even call fennel bulbs anise) gets subtle as you cook it and adds a nice freshness to all kinds of dishes. In this simple chicken dish, citrus adds its own brightness, creating a lively, savory dish that belies how easy it is to make.

Fennel is one of those neither fish nor fowl plants. It’s primarily classified as an herb, for its feathery fronds and seeds that both deliver a pleasant, slightly bitter anise or licorice flavor. But it’s also used as a vegetable, at least the bulbous base is, and is especially popular with Italian cooks, who call it finocchio.

Part of the reason I’ve never cooked with fennel is, well, look at it. Yes, I know all parts are edible and that it has a nice crunch and the aforementioned flavor. But it also looks like an invitation to a wrestling match when you see it in the produce department. Or did, anyway, to me—until I first cooked with it. The truth is, it could hardly be easier to cook with.

Just trim off the root bottom and the stalks and the fronds up top and you’ve got something like an onion, ready to be sliced. More details in the recipe, but that’s pretty much it.

We hope you give this recipe a try. It’s weeknight easy and weekend family dinner impressive.

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Roast Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Citrus

Fresh fennel, and lemon and orange slices roasted with chicken thighs deliver a lively, bright, savory meal.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 large fennel bulb
• 1 orange, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish (we used blood orange because we had it—use any kind you like)
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1/2 pound each

Instructions

• Using a sharp knife, slice off the root end of the fennel bulb and the stalks with the fronds. Reserve the stalks and fronds. Slice the bulb in half lengthwise and peel off the tough outer layer, if needed (if it looks okay, keep it in place). Cut out the inner core and slice the bulb halves in half again lengthwise, then slice crosswise into about 1/4-inch slices.
• In a large bowl, combine the sliced fennel bulb, orange slices, lemon slices, garlic and fennel seeds. Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil over everything and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine and coat everything with oil.
• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Trim any excess fat from chicken thighs, season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, deep oven-safe sauté pan over medium heat. Place chicken thighs in pan skin side down and cook undisturbed until skin is nicely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off heat under skillet and transfer chicken to a plate.
• Add fennel/citrus mixture to skillet, distributing it evenly on the bottom. Return chicken thighs to pan skin side up atop the fennel/citrus mixture. Place pan in the oven and roast until chicken thighs are at least 165ºF inside (use an instant read thermometer), 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop about 2 tablespoons of reserved fennel fronds.
• When chicken is done, let everything rest in the pan on the stovetop for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds. Plate chicken thighs and spoon the fennel/citrus mixture alongside, spooning a little juice on the chicken. Serve.