This Braised Chicken with Lemon, Olives and Fennel is a one pot dinner, worthy of a regular place in your recipe rotation. It has bright Mediterranean flavour provided by herbs, lemon, olives and fennel, and perfectly cooked chicken. With this recipe, I will show you how to braise chicken thighs that have succulent, tender flesh, whilst also having golden brown, crispy skin.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Whilst I love braised chicken in many forms, my aim was to have a successful braise as well as crispy skin on the chicken. I finally perfected the recipe, and it is a great combination. The flesh becomes succulent and tender from braising in the liquid and the skin becomes crispy as it sits above the liquid.
- This is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
- This is a one-pot meal, which means less washing up and that's always welcome.
- It is naturally gluten-free. However, it always pays to check all labels.
- You can easily customise the flavours to suit your taste.
- Chicken thighs, vegetables and herbs are cooked together in the oven - their flavours perfectly complementing each other.
Recipe Inspiration: this recipe combines three of my all time favourite ingredients - fennel, lemon and olives. It is a winning combination that works perfectly with a variety of proteins.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Chicken thighs - we use skin-on bone-in thighs for the best flavour.
- Olive oil - for flavour, I have used extra virgin olive oil. Use the best oil that you have.
- Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt - essential flavouring ingredients.
- Fennel - fennel, when roasted, becomes mellow, tender, deliciously sweet and loses its faint anise flavour.
- Brown/yellow onions - add great flavour to the braise.
- Garlic - fresh garlic cloves are preferred.
- Lemon - fresh lemon slices become slightly caramelised and add bright flavour.
- Thyme - a few sprigs of this aromatic, fresh herb add earthy, savoury flavour.
- Dried oregano - a popular addition to Mediterranean dishes.
- Chicken stock - use homemade or a good quality commercial variety.
- Sicilian green olives - their firm texture and mild flavour are a great addition. You may also find them labelled as Castelvetrano olives.
Variations:
Onions - you can use leeks if you prefer.
Fennel - if you're not a fan of fennel, you could just omit or add another vegetable such as diced potato or zucchini.
Herbs - fresh rosemary or marjoram are good substitutes.
How To Make Braised Chicken:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 - Season the chicken thighs:
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, shallow, wide frying pan that is oven safe.
Dry the chicken thighs with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
2 - Brown the chicken thighs:
Brown the chicken thighs, skin side down, for 5-7 minutes until golden brown, then turn over for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, skin side up on a plate.
3 - Sauté the vegetables:
Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and fennel and sauté until caramelised - about 15-18 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, add in the garlic.
Add the thyme, oregano and stock to the pan. Use a spoon/spatula to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
4 - Return the chicken to the dish:
Return the chicken to the pan skin side up, and arrange the lemon slices in between the chicken. Place the chicken in the oven - no lid on. Cook for 30 minutes.
5 - Add the olives:
Add the olives to the dish and cook a further 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
6 - Serve and enjoy:
Serve with some of the vegetables and pan juices with side dishes of your choice.
Hint: ensure you don't place a lid on the pan when you place it into the oven - this will cause the dish to steam and your crispy chicken skin will become soggy. (I have done it by mistake... so now I ensure the lid stays safely in the cupboard!!)
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
Whilst Dutch ovens are ideal for most braised dishes, to keep the skin of the chicken crisp, the braise needs to be in a shallow, wide, uncovered frying pan/skillet. Use an ovenproof stainless steel or cast-iron pan. In general, non-stick pans are not suitable for high temperatures. To maintain their non-stick coating, they are best suited to medium and low heat cooking.
To begin, ensure that you remove your chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature. Then, after adding your chicken to the pan, do not move the pieces around, they need to form a crispy, golden crust before you attempt to move them. If the chicken sticks to the pan, it just means that it is not ready to be turned. Give it a little longer and try again. Use your tongs to encourage it to lift off.
For this recipe, chicken thighs are preferred. Chicken breasts would dry out with braising, but thighs will remain tender and moist. And in general, thighs are budget friendly, being less expensive than breasts.
Yes, it can be. Allow to cool completely before storing in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Be sure to label and date the container as frozen dishes can be difficult to identify. Follow instructions for reheating below.
The chicken can be reheated in a 180 degrees C (355 F) oven for 20-30 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 75 Degrees C (165 F) is reached. When reheating, I like to remove the skin and take the chicken off the bone.
Top Tip:
One of the great pleasures of this dish is that the skin of the chicken thighs remains deliciously crisp whilst the vegetables braise. To achieve this, we have some important tips. First, to help the skin brown, pat the chicken thigh dry with kitchen paper to remove excess moisture. As well, leave the dish uncovered whilst braising in the oven or the skin will steam rather than remain crisp. And importantly, ensure that the chicken skin remains elevated above the braising liquid, and you can do this by perching the thighs on other ingredients.
Serving Suggestions:
This dish is ideal for family meals, as well as for entertaining; everyone will love the rich flavours of the braise, along with the crispy skin chicken. Some suggestions to accompany it are:
- Smashed Roasted Potatoes
- Honey Roasted Parsnips and Carrots
- Roasted Broccolini
- Cauliflower Gratin
- With a carb, such as polenta or rice.
- Or serve simply with a green salad and crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce.
If, like me, you're a fan of easy, one-pan, full-of-flavour meals, you will love this Braised Chicken with Lemon and Fennel. Simple ingredients and Mediterranean flavours are combined in a way that make this dish special.
Alex xx
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Braised Chicken with Fennel and Lemon
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
For Preparing the Chicken:
- 8 chicken thighs - skin on/bone in. About 1.2-1.4 kg of thighs. (2.6-3 lb) See Note 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - more if necessary See Note 2
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt/cooking salt - not table salt
Other Ingredients:
- 1 medium bulb of fennel - trimmed, outer layers removed, cut in half, core removed and sliced into 1 cm pieces (0.4")
- 2 medium brown/yellow onions - cut in half moons and then 1 cm slices (0.4")
- 1 teaspoon sea salt/cooking salt - not table salt See Note 3
- 3 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 1 medium lemon - ends remove and sliced finely - about ½ cm slices (0.2")
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
- 1 cup (180 g) Sicilian green olives - pitted, left whole
Instructions
- 20-30 minutes before cooking, remove the chicken thighs from the fridge.Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (355 F).
- Pat the chicken thighs with some paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil over medium-high in a large, shallow, wide frying pan that is oven safe.Brown the chicken thighs - you can do this in two batches rather than crowd the pan - skin side down for 5-7 minutes until golden brown, and then turn over for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, skin side up on a plate, in a single layer. (So they don't steam and the skin goes soggy.)
- Add a little more oil if necessary and turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion, fennel and salt and sauté until caramelised - about 15-18 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, add in the garlic, and stir to ensure it doesn't burn.
- Add the thyme, oregano and stock to the pan. Use a spoon/spatula to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan skin side up, and arrange the lemon slices in between the chicken. (Not on the skin.)Carefully place the dish in the oven - no lid on. Cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the olives to the dish and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature of the chicken should be no lower than 75 Degrees C (165 F).
- Check that the seasoning is to your liking and serve.
Video
Notes
- Chicken Thighs: we recommend removing the chicken thighs from the fridge 20-30 minutes before you start cooking to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking - we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour. Add more herbs to taste if you prefer.
- Storage: the Braised Chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Discard it if it has been sitting at room temperature for two hours or more.
- Freezing: allow to cool completely before storing in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Be sure to label and date the container as frozen dishes can be difficult to identify.
- Reheating: you can reheat the defrosted chicken in a 180 degrees C (355 F) oven for 20-30 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 75 Degrees C (165 F) is reached. When reheating, I like to remove the skin and take the chicken off the bone.
- Serving sizes: this recipe is based on a serving of two chicken thighs per person. The nutritional information is an estimate only and doesn't include any side dishes.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
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