What is chicken stock used for?

Chicken stock or broth can be used for all sorts of delicious dishes, not just soups and stews. From a cooking liquid for grains like rice and quinoa to a braising liquid for chicken or vegetables , it's a very useful ingredient that brings extra flavor to a recipe.

What is fennel best paired with?

When it comes to flavour matches, with fennel you're spoilt for choice. Thanks to its subtle aniseed taste, it's so good with seafood – whether that's stuffed into whole fish, shaved into an accompanying side salad, or tossed through a pasta dish. But it's also delicious with chicken or pork, particularly sausages .

Why do chefs use fennel so much?

Though often overlooked by home cooks, this versatile ingredient is beloved by chefs for its pleasantly sweet, fresh flavor and mild aromatic character .

Why can't you boil chicken stock?

The hotter you cook the stock, the faster you convert collagen into gelatin. Cooking low and slow gives you good conversion while preventing fat, minerals and other gunk from emulsifying into your stock . Boiled stock will be cloudy, greasy and have a lower yield.

What's the difference between chicken stock or broth?

Stock is generally made from bones, and broth is generally made from flesh . In both cases, they are often supported with aromatic vegetables, but in the case of stock, left unseasoned for maximum flexibility in recipes, whereas broth will usually contain at least salt and pepper.

How long will chicken stock last in the fridge?

How long does homemade chicken broth last? Homemade chicken broth is a laborious task but reaps delicious results. In the refrigerator, your homemade broth will last 3-4 days . To extend your broth's freshness, store the broth in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Can you eat the stock of fennel?

Every part of it is edible, from the bulb to the flowers, and it can be eaten raw or cooked . Though the stalks and leaves are edible, fennel recipes most often call for the bulb. When raw, it has a crisp texture similar to celery and a fresh licorice flavor.

Can you eat the fennel stalks?

Technically speaking, all parts of the plant are edible, but most people will find the stalks too tough and fibrous to eat . The leaves can be chopped and used to flavor salads, dressings, marinades and sauces. They tend to have a slightly more citrusy flavor than the base. The base (or bulb) is delicious raw or cooked.

Can you use fennel stalks in broth?

Remove the feather-like leaves along with the stems from the bulb of the fennel. The leaves and stems will be used for the broth . (Save the bulb for later! – It can be added to many dishes!)

What is liquid fennel used for?

Taking fennel oil or fennel extract by mouth seems to improve pain in people with menstrual cramps. Its effect on pain might be similar to drugs such as ibuprofen or mefenamic acid.

Chicken with Creamy Fennel Broth | Tried and True Recipes (2024)

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by Kylie PerrottiPosted on August 26, 2021December 28, 2021

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This chicken with creamy fennel broth is so delicious, spicy, and rich. We topped it with a fennel gremolata so no part of the fennel goes to waste!

Chicken with Creamy Fennel Broth | Tried and True Recipes (2)

The basis of this chicken with creamy fennel broth is chicken with crispy skin, a creamy, spicy fennel broth, and a fennel gremolata.

The best part of this recipe is that you can prepare everything as the chicken finishes baking in the oven. The spicy, creamy broth is only a few ingredients, consisting of:

A little leftover chicken fat
A diced onion
Sliced fennel bulb and stalks
Pasta cooking water
Cream
Salt, pepper, and a healthy sprinkle of crushed red pepper

Fennel is an amazingly versatile ingredient, but it’s easy to only want to use the bulb and nothing else. You can absolutely thinly slice the stalks and use the fronds as garnish.

How to make this recipe:

In this chicken with fennel broth recipe, we use the reserved fronds to create a simple gremolata with toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, and salt. I added a sprinkle of fennel pollen to intensify the fennel flavor, but you can omit the pollen if you don’t have it.

To plate this dish, I divided cooked orzo between shallow bowls. It’s totally okay if the orzo isn’t piping hot when you plate it. I spooned the hot broth over top. You only need a few spoonfuls of the creamy fennel broth. From there, I placed a cooked chicken thigh on top and piled the fennel gremolata on top.

If you made this chicken with creamy fennel broth recipe, please rate the recipe below and leave a comment to tell me how you liked it! If you take a picture of it, please tag me on Instagram so I can feature you in my feed!

Want more fennel recipes? Check my archives!

Equipment

Sheet pan
Large skillet
Large pot

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in
2 teaspoons neutral cooking oil for frying
8 ounces orzo
2 cups reserved pasta cooking water
1 fennel bulb with stalks and fronds
1 yellow onion peeled and diced
½ cup heavy cream
Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste

Fennel Gremolata:

½ cup fennel fronds
1 lemon juiced
3 ounces pine nuts
1 teaspoon fennel pollen optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Fry the Chicken:

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Heat the neutral cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, pat the chicken dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Place into the skillet and cook in batches, skin-side down, until the skin is crispy and golden (about 5 minutes).
As the chicken finishes cooking, transfer it to a sheet pan, skin-side up. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of chicken fat and set the skillet aside.
Place a small piece of aluminum foil in the corner of the sheet pan and add the pine nuts in an even layer.
Transfer the sheet pan to the oven. After 5-7 minutes, remove the pine nuts and set aside.
Continue baking the chicken for another 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165ºF. Turn off the oven and leave the chicken in the warm oven until you are ready to plate the dish.

Cook the Orzo:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until just al dente. Scoop out 2 cups of pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain and rinse the orzo.

Prepare the Fennel:

Remove 1/2 cup of fennel fronds from the stalks. Pick off the remaining fronds and reserve for another use. Thinly slice the fennel stalks into rounds. Remove the core from the bulb and slice the bulb into strips. Set aside.

Prepare the Creamy Fennel Broth:

Heat the skillet used to fry the chicken over medium heat. Once hot, add the fennel and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until softened and golden brown.
Add the reserved pasta cooking water and bring to a boil. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes until reduced slightly. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and reduce heat to low. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until thickened. Turn off the heat.

Prepare the Fennel Gremolata:

Roughly chop the fennel fronds and toss them in a bowl with the toasted pine nuts. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and fennel pollen (if using) and toss to combine. Set aside.

To Serve:

Divide the orzo between shallow bowls and ladle the broth on top. Place a chicken thigh on top and garnish with the fennel gremolata. Enjoy!

Nutrition

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