Guest Blog
Chicken with Orange, Fennel & Olives
by The Intolerant Gourmet -
28.01.2010
With Christmas well and
truly behind us (I admit it, I am finding it hard to let go!) and the
New Year ushering in a fresh start, it is tempting to think that the
spring, and all the lightness of spirit and flavour that it entails, is
imminent. Yet the weather outside my window every morning is a harsh
reminder that the cold chill of winter is still upon us; while the bite
of the evening’s cold still makes me crave for the warmth and comfort
of hearty, wintery fare.
One of the many things I
love about winter are the aromas that it brings: the cool, clean fizz
of freshly fallen snow, the heady smoke of roaring wood fires and rich,
slow roasting meats, the mellow waft of cinnamon and spice, and the
sprightly, citrus smell of oranges and satsumas – pierced with a
fingernail, peeled or poked with cloves; their heady perfume can fill a
room with a fresh waft of wintery warmth.
I simply adore those scents
and they led me to want to make a dish that was both rich with winter
flavour but had the fresh, renewing taste of citrus and that makes a
small, if hesitant, nod towards those warmer months to come - and so
was born my roasted Chicken with Orange, Fennel and Olives.
I love the combination of orange and olives: they seem made for one
another and revel in the flavours of their sun-baked, Mediterranean
roots. Not very wintery you may think, but there is something about
the combination of orange, olive and fennel that echoes the essence of
those seasonal spices, and anyway, details aside this dish is just
delicious to eat whatever the season and a total breeze to make –
perfect for when you come in from the cold and want to create something
simple and delicious to warm you through.
I recommend serving it with
a big pile of steamed white basmati rice, all the better to absorb the
wonderful orange and olive oil juices that pool around the roasted
chicken and fennel. I think the flavours of the chicken and its juices
give a perfect balance and so like to keep it simple and serve
alongside a green herb salad, although it works equally well with some
wilted spinach with perhaps a little splash of garlic oil.
CHICKEN WITH ORANGE, FENNEL AND OLIVES
Serves 4
4 skinless chicken breasts
2 fennel bulbs
1 large red onion
2 handfuls of pitted black olives
2 cloves of garlic
Grated zest of 1 and juice of ½ an orange
3 tbsp olive oil
A small bunch of parsley
Preheat the oven to 200c
(180c Fan). Begin by peeling the onion and slicing in to thin half
rounds. Trim the fennel bulb and cut widthways in to thin rounds.
Peel and crush the garlic and finely chop the parsley. Combine 1 tbsp
of the olive oil and the orange juice in a bowl. Take each chicken
breast and score three times, approximately ½ cm deep (this will help
the chicken to cook evenly) and season well, then place in the orange
marinade and set aside.
In a large ovenproof dish or
roasting pan combine the onion, garlic, fennel, olives and orange zest
with the remaining 2tbsp of olive oil. Mix thoroughly, season well and
place in the oven to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir
well and then place the chicken breasts in the dish so that they are
resting on the fennel and onions. Return to the oven and cook for 18
minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear
when pierced with a knife. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve
while hot, on a bed of white basmati rice.
You can read the original article here: http://www.theintolerantgourmetblog.com/journal/2010/1/10/chicken-with-orange-fennel-olives.html
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