Crispy Chicken Thighs with Fennel & Peppers

I came up with this dish after brainstorming a bunch of summer recipes back in February. I wanted to riff off of a piperrada, and make it heartier, so it could be eaten as a main. I thought of creating a 1 pan dish, something bright and light, that would remind or emphasise the season we were in. It may take some time to cook this dish, but it isn’t super labour intensive, and the final dish is delicious.

The skin on the chicken is bubbly and crispy, but the meat is tender and juicy. Braising the meat and veggies in the wine help bring fresh flavours to the dish.

Crispy chicken with fennel. peppers and basil

prep/cooking time: 55-60 minutes

serves: 4-5 people

Ingredients

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1/4 cup (45ml) olive oil

2 peppers, sliced thin

1 fennel bulb, sliced thin

1 large onion, sliced thin

4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

1 mild red chilli, sliced thin

2 tsp tomato paste

1 cup (200ml) white wine

4 stalks fresh thyme

soft herbs of your choice to garnish; fennel fronds, basil, parsley, dill etc…

salt, pepper

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to fan 180°C.

2. Pat dry and season the chicken thighs on both sides. Put the chicken thighs skin side down in a cold oven safe pan (big enough to fit 6 chicken thighs). Turn the heat up to medium-high. Sear the thighs skin side down only until the skin is golden and crispy. Take the thighs out and place them off the heat, into a bowl skin side up. You are not looking to cook the chicken throughout.

3. Turn the heat down to medium, add the olive oil, peppers and fennel into the pan and cook until they start to soften, season with a little bit of salt. If the veg can’t all fit in the pan, cook them in batches, adding more when the previous batch has started to soften.

4. When the veg has softened, add in the onion, thyme, garlic, tomato paste, and chilli. Cook stirring, until the onion starts to soften and go translucent. Taste the mix and season accordingly.

5. Pour the wine into the pan and stir to mix everything. Nestle the chicken skin side up into the peppers mix, you want the chicken meat to be submerged into the liquid but the skin to stay dry and above everything. Bring the mix to a boil, take off the heat and place the pan into the pre-heated oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

6. After the 30 minutes, the chicken should be fully cooked, tender, and the skin crispy and golden. To make sure the chicken is fully cooked, the internal temperature should register about 74°C or when poked with a knife, the juices should run clear.

7. Scatter the soft herbs onto the chicken and serve hot.