Chicken with Creamy Fennel Broth | Tried and True Recipes (2024)

  • Recipes

by Kylie PerrottiPosted on August 26, 2021December 28, 2021

Chicken with Creamy Fennel Broth | Tried and True Recipes (1)

This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.

Jump to Recipe

This chicken with creamy fennel broth is so delicious, spicy, and rich. We topped it with a fennel gremolata so no part of the fennel goes to waste!

Chicken with Creamy Fennel Broth | Tried and True Recipes (2)

The basis of this chicken with creamy fennel broth is chicken with crispy skin, a creamy, spicy fennel broth, and a fennel gremolata.

The best part of this recipe is that you can prepare everything as the chicken finishes baking in the oven. The spicy, creamy broth is only a few ingredients, consisting of:

  • A little leftover chicken fat
  • A diced onion
  • Sliced fennel bulb and stalks
  • Pasta cooking water
  • Cream
  • Salt, pepper, and a healthy sprinkle of crushed red pepper

Fennel is an amazingly versatile ingredient, but it’s easy to only want to use the bulb and nothing else. You can absolutely thinly slice the stalks and use the fronds as garnish.

How to make this recipe:

In this chicken with fennel broth recipe, we use the reserved fronds to create a simple gremolata with toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, and salt. I added a sprinkle of fennel pollen to intensify the fennel flavor, but you can omit the pollen if you don’t have it.

To plate this dish, I divided cooked orzo between shallow bowls. It’s totally okay if the orzo isn’t piping hot when you plate it. I spooned the hot broth over top. You only need a few spoonfuls of the creamy fennel broth. From there, I placed a cooked chicken thigh on top and piled the fennel gremolata on top.

If you made this chicken with creamy fennel broth recipe, please rate the recipe below and leave a comment to tell me how you liked it! If you take a picture of it, please tag me on Instagram so I can feature you in my feed!

Want more fennel recipes? Check my archives!

Chicken with Creamy Fennel Broth | Tried and True Recipes (3)

This chicken with creamy fennel broth is so delicious, spicy, and rich. We topped it with a fennel gremolata so no part of the fennel goes to waste!

4.74 from 30 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 765kcal

Equipment

  • Sheet pan

  • Large skillet

  • Large pot

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in
  • 2 teaspoons neutral cooking oil for frying
  • 8 ounces orzo
  • 2 cups reserved pasta cooking water
  • 1 fennel bulb with stalks and fronds
  • 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste

Fennel Gremolata:

  • ½ cup fennel fronds
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 3 ounces pine nuts
  • 1 teaspoon fennel pollen optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Fry the Chicken:

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF. Heat the neutral cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, pat the chicken dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Place into the skillet and cook in batches, skin-side down, until the skin is crispy and golden (about 5 minutes).

  • As the chicken finishes cooking, transfer it to a sheet pan, skin-side up. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of chicken fat and set the skillet aside.

  • Place a small piece of aluminum foil in the corner of the sheet pan and add the pine nuts in an even layer.

  • Transfer the sheet pan to the oven. After 5-7 minutes, remove the pine nuts and set aside.

  • Continue baking the chicken for another 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165ºF. Turn off the oven and leave the chicken in the warm oven until you are ready to plate the dish.

Cook the Orzo:

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until just al dente. Scoop out 2 cups of pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain and rinse the orzo.

Prepare the Fennel:

  • Remove 1/2 cup of fennel fronds from the stalks. Pick off the remaining fronds and reserve for another use. Thinly slice the fennel stalks into rounds. Remove the core from the bulb and slice the bulb into strips. Set aside.

Prepare the Creamy Fennel Broth:

  • Heat the skillet used to fry the chicken over medium heat. Once hot, add the fennel and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until softened and golden brown.

  • Add the reserved pasta cooking water and bring to a boil. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes until reduced slightly. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and reduce heat to low. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until thickened. Turn off the heat.

Prepare the Fennel Gremolata:

  • Roughly chop the fennel fronds and toss them in a bowl with the toasted pine nuts. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and fennel pollen (if using) and toss to combine. Set aside.

To Serve:

  • Divide the orzo between shallow bowls and ladle the broth on top. Place a chicken thigh on top and garnish with the fennel gremolata. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 765kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 48g | Sodium: 134mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin C: 23mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @triedandtruerecipes or tag #triedandtruerecipes so I can feature you in my feed!

Chicken with Creamy Fennel Broth | Tried and True Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Can you use cream of chicken in place of chicken broth? ›

Cream of chicken soup has a quality that chicken broth does not: it's thick and creamy. Substituting chicken broth would give you a similar flavor, but it could water down your soup or casserole. Your best bet is to pick up a can of cream of chicken soup or make our roux-based substitution above.

How to use chicken stock? ›

5 Ways to Use Chicken Stock
  1. Simmer a Warming Soup. ...
  2. Stir Up a Creamy Risotto. ...
  3. Make a Rich Cassoulet. ...
  4. Master a Classic Velouté ...
  5. Braise Meat or Vegetables.
Mar 3, 2022

What happens if I use chicken broth instead of chicken stock? ›

In most cases, stock and broth are interchangeable. If you're in the soup aisle and can't remember whether the recipe called for stock or broth, either will do for making soup, gravy, or a flavorful pot of rice or grains. Keep in mind that stock is unseasoned, and broth is seasoned.

Can you add heavy cream to broth? ›

Heavy cream or whipping cream would be fine. Fat-free half-and-half or low-fat milk would most likely curdle. You need to be careful even with the cream. If you started the soup with broth, stock or water, I would wait until the end to add the cream.

Is it better to cook with chicken stock or chicken broth? ›

As a result, stock is usually a healthier product, delivering a richer mouth feel and deeper flavor than broth. Stock is a versatile culinary tool that can deliver taste to any number of dishes. Darker in color and more concentrated in flavor than broth, it's ideal for use in soups, rice, sauces and more.

What to add to chicken broth? ›

  1. Parmesan Rinds. I keep a container of Parmesan rinds in my freezer at all times for dropping into slowly simmering soups, tomato sauce, and beans. ...
  2. Dried Mushrooms. ...
  3. Fermented, Spicy Pastes. ...
  4. Sautéed or Roasted Aromatics. ...
  5. Garlic (Lots of It) ...
  6. Woody Herbs. ...
  7. Warm Spices.
Oct 27, 2022

Can you drink straight chicken stock? ›

It is healthy to drink chicken stock, provided that you made it yourself and are not using a store-bought version. If you want to drink a commercial product, be sure to check the label and ingredient list for nasty additives and sodium.

What can I use if I don't have chicken broth? ›

Chicken Broth Substitute: Salted Butter + Water

If you don't have broth on hand and want a little more flavor than just plain water, try subbing in 1 cup of water plus 1 tablespoon of butter for every cup of chicken broth in your recipe. The butter will help create a richer flavor than just water alone.

What can I use as a replacement for chicken broth? ›

What to Substitute for Chicken Broth
  • Beef Broth. ...
  • Water. ...
  • White Wine. ...
  • Chicken Bouillon Granules. ...
  • Crushed Canned White Beans. ...
  • Dashi. ...
  • Aquafaba (Canned Chickpea Liquid) ...
  • Vegetable Stock.
Jan 15, 2022

What can I use instead of broth? ›

Water. This simple swap should suffice in most recipes that call for broth. To give H2O more depth, you may want to compensate by adding more spices like salt, pepper and bay leaves to your recipe and a tablespoon or two of olive oil to mimic the richness of broth.

What is the difference between chicken soup and cream of chicken soup? ›

Traditionally, chicken soup (or broth) in Britain is a clear and watery soup with chunky vegetables (such as carrot, celery and onion), chicken, salt and pepper. However, a thick, creamy variety called cream of chicken soup, which may not contain any vegetable pieces (depending on the recipe), is more popular today.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Dan Stracke

Last Updated:

Views: 5785

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (63 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dan Stracke

Birthday: 1992-08-25

Address: 2253 Brown Springs, East Alla, OH 38634-0309

Phone: +398735162064

Job: Investor Government Associate

Hobby: Shopping, LARPing, Scrapbooking, Surfing, Slacklining, Dance, Glassblowing

Introduction: My name is Dan Stracke, I am a homely, gleaming, glamorous, inquisitive, homely, gorgeous, light person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.