Free Cooking Recipes

If you like fennel, or have never tasted it, try this fragrant peppery dish for a wonderful taste sensation. It goes especially well with a chunk of crusty bread and a glass of Soave.

Makes 8 servings

Three 14-ounce fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
One 3-pound chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon coarsely crushed fennel seed
1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Spray an 8″ square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place fennel in prepared baking pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Bake, loosely covered with foil, 10 minutes, until fennel is softened. Leave oven on.
3. Place chicken pieces bone-side down over fennel. In small bowl, combine fennel seed, peppercorns, olive oil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; spread evenly over chicken. Pour broth into pan; bake, loosely covered with foil, 30-40 minutes, basting several times with
   pan juices, until chicken is cooked through and thigh juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
4. With slotted spoon, remove chicken and fennel from baking pan; set on platter and keep warm.
5. Strain pan juices into small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil over high heat; cook until reduced by about a third. To serve, pour liquid over chicken and fennel.

EACH SERVING PROVIDES:

1/4 Fat; 1 Vegetable; 2 Proteins

PER SERVING:

127 Calories; 17 g Protein; 6 g Fat; 2 g Carbohydrate; 32 mg Calcium; 121 mg Sodium; 51 mg Cholesterol; 1 g Dietary Fiber