I love the aniseed flavour and fragrance of both fennel and tarragon — they’re the perfect match with chicken and crème fraîche. Lovely with a bowl of cooked asparagus or green beans.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
150 grams streaky bacon, sliced into 2cm pieces
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1 large fennel bulb, stem trimmed, cut into wedges
¾ cup chicken stock (use a stock pot or cube)
¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
2 teaspoons grain mustard
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
sea salt and ground pepper
TO COOK
6–8 boneless, skin-off chicken thighs
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan bake.
Heat the oil in a 28cm ovenproof frying pan. Add the bacon, onion, garlic and tarragon and cook for 8 minutes until lightly golden. Add the fennel and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk the stock, crème fraîche, mustard and the lemon zest together then tip into the pan and season with salt and pepper.
TO COOK: Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and fold in half to make plump parcels. Nestle into the pan and spoon some sauce over each one.
Cook uncovered for 40–45 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked, basting a couple of times during cooking.
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latest issue:
126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.