Roasted chicken is a solid family favorite for lots of us, but for me at least, it’s easy to fall into a rut with the preparation and get a little bored with the dish.
Here’s a recipe to shake things up. At first glance it looks a little crazy –whole clementines, fennel, Pernod and mustard, all at once– but these strong flavors come together in a sweet-tart harmonious whole, and, miraculously, don’t overwhelm the humble bird. Put this on the table, and I guarantee you nobody will say “chicken again?”
And it’s quick. There’s no pre-browning of the chicken (one of my least favorite cooking tasks), and the dish comes together with a minimum of chopping and other fuss. You could work ahead and let the chicken marinate for few hours or overnight (and this does deepen the flavor somewhat), but taking it straight to the oven works well too when you need to get dinner on the table.
Recipe
(adapted from “Roasted chicken with clementines & arak” in Jerusalem, a Cookbook by Yottam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons Pernod, arak or similar anise flavored spirit
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 medium fennel bulbs (about a pound/500g total)
1 whole chicken cut in eight parts or bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2 3/4 pounds (1.3kg) total
4 clementines,unpeeled
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crusted
salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Put the first six ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add 2 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Whisk and set aside.
2. Trim the fronds from the fennel. Cut each bulb lengthwise in half, and then cut each half lengthwise into 4 wedges. Reserve a few of the tender green fronds for garnish.
3. Slice the clementines, skin on, into 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) wheels.
4. Lightly crush the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or under a rolling pin. Add the seeds, fennel wedges, clementines and thyme leaves to the liquid, along with the chicken parts. Toss well with your hands. Ideally, leave this to marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, but you can skip this step and the dish will still be delicious. (I’m rarely organized enough for overnight marinades.)
5. Preheat the oven to 475F (220C). Arrange the chicken, fennel and marinade onto a baking sheet or a large roasting pan large enough to accommodate everything in one layer. The chicken skin should be facing up.
6. Roast for 35-45 minutes until the chicken is well browned and cooked through.
7. Arrange the chicken, fennel and clementines on a warmed serving plate and cover to keep warm, and finely chop up about a tablespoon of your reserved fennel fronds. Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan over medium-high heat and reduce it until you are left with about 1/3 cup (80ml). Pour the hot sauce over the chicken, garnish with the chopped fennel fronds and serve.
