Fennel is a wondrous vegetable. It’s aniseed flavor makes a delightful addition to a salad thinly sliced and crunchy. Once cooked, it takes on a sweet, licorice flavor. There are many parts to fennel that are used in cooking such as fennel pollen derived from the small flowers of wild fennel. Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavored spice used in Italian sausage. Then you have the fennel bulb and fronds that are the most commonly used form. However, like many other vegetables, much of it often gets wasted as people generally use the bulb and forget about the fronds. Sometimes the fennel fronds are used as a garnish, but there’s no reason to stop there!
I love caramelizing vegetables to bring out their most aromatic and luxurious flavor. Combining onions and fennel together are a simply divine marriage in taste. If you slice the fennel small enough you can caramelize it without adding liquid. To enhance the anise flavor you can throw in a few fennel seeds and some Absinthe to deglaze the pan. In this recipe, I am serving the caramelized vegetables with some braised chicken thighs. They are my favorite part of the chicken since they retain their juiciness much better than breasts. I prefer to cook them skin on with bones for the best results, browning them first in a skillet and then finishing them off covered in a little braising liquid on the stovetop or in the oven.
To top off the dish, I decided to make a pesto out of the fennel fronds and it went incredibly well as a sauce on top of the chicken. I used a standard mixture of olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts with a bit of lemon to create the pesto along with the fennel fronds, of course. Yum, this would be great on pasta, as a sandwich spread, on fish or pork… How about on a burger? Ok, I’m getting carried away!
Caramelized Fennel & Onions with Braised Chicken Thighs and Fennel Frond Pesto
Serves 4
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, separated
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/8 cup toasted pine nuts
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin on
- freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Absinthe, optional
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, separated
- Trim fennel bulbs, and set aside fronds. Place full half cup of fronds in a food processor along with garlic, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Pulse to mix and slowly add 1/4 cup olive oil, processing until thoroughly mixed. Set aside in a small serving bowl.
- 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 Absinthe if using or 1 tablespoon water/chicken broth 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, about 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover and cook off any excess liquid if necessary. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- Serve chicken and vegetables topped with the fennel frond pesto, serving additional pesto to pass at the table.
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