Mediterranean Chicken with Fennel and Green Olives

By Leite's Culinaria

Ingredients

4 (9-ounce) chicken leg quarters
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt (divided)
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 fennel bulbs (ends removed, bulbs sliced lengthways into 1/4-inch (6-mm) slices)
2 yellow onions (sliced)
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
2 1/2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 cup canned chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
3 1/2 oz green olives (pitted, drained, and rinsed)
Zest of 1 lemon (preferably organic)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
5 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves stripped)
Mashed potatoes or soft polenta (optional)
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley (leaves plucked, to garnish)

Prep Time30mins
Cook Time55mins
Servings4

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

Season the chicken leg quarters with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake until browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour off any fat, and cover with foil. Turn the oven down to 250°F (130°C).

Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the fennel, onion, and remaining salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft but not falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the garlic during that last 2 minutes of cooking.

Crank the heat up to high, splash in the wine and stock, and allow it to boil until reduced by about one-third, 4 to 5 minutes. Take the fennel mixture off the heat and stir in the olives, lemon zest, pepper flakes, bay leaves, and thyme.

Arrange the fennel mixture in the baking dish so it nestles around the pieces of chicken.

Transfer to the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and registers 165°F (74°C) on a meat thermometer, 25 to 35 minutes.

Divvy the chicken leg quarters and the fennel and olives between serving plates, and serve with mashed potato or soft polenta. Sprinkle a few parsley leaves over the top.