Broiled Chicken with Thyme, Fennel, & Peppers
Submitted by codysmom
Broiled chicken with thyme, fennel, and peppers: pounded chicken breasts broiled crisp, served with charred fennel and red peppers under a thyme-lemon-fennel seed butter.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
25 minREADY
1 hrsA broiler dinner that eats like Mediterranean restaurant food. Pounded chicken breasts broil to juicy and golden in under 10 minutes, while quartered fennel bulbs and strips of red bell pepper char alongside for smoky sweetness.
The blanched-then-broiled fennel is the technique worth learning. Raw fennel takes too long to soften under the broiler and burns before it tenderizes. An eight-minute blanch in salted water gets it crisp-tender first, so the broiler only has to char and finish, not cook from scratch.
Pounding the chicken to ½ inch is non-negotiable. Uniform thickness means every breast cooks at the same rate, no raw centers or overcooked edges. A rolling pin or meat mallet works; hit evenly from center outward.
The finishing butter is what ties the whole dish together. Melted butter infused with fresh thyme, lemon zest, and crushed fennel seeds gets drizzled over the chicken just before serving. That hit of herbal, citrusy richness against the lean broiled protein is what makes this worth cooking for company.
Crushed fennel seeds in the butter is a brilliant echo effect. The bulb brings anise sweetness, and the crushed seeds release a concentrated anise aroma that unifies the whole plate.
Chef Tips
- Watch the broiler closely. High-heat cooking goes from golden to burnt in a minute or two. Never walk away.
- Pour off pan drippings between steps. Accumulated chicken fat smokes and can set off the fire alarm on higher heat.
- Make the vegetables ahead. The blanched and dressed fennel and peppers hold in the fridge overnight without losing quality.
Variations
- Add quartered red onions to the vegetable mix for extra sweetness and color.
- Swap chicken breasts for chicken thighs for a more forgiving, flavorful cut.
- Finish with a splash of balsamic glaze for extra depth.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook fennel bulbs in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain; cool.
Toss fennel, bell peppers, olive oil and 1 teaspoon chopped thyme in large bowl to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Preheat broiler. Using mallet or rolling pin, pound each chicken breast between sheets of plastic to ½-inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side down, on broiler pan.
Watching closely, broil chicken 4 to 5 inches from heat source until golden brown and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove broiler pan from oven. Pour off any pan drippings. Using tongs, turn chicken over and broil until skin is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm. Pour off any additional pan drippings.
Working in 2 batches, arrange peppers and fennel in single layer on broiler pan. Broil until vegetables begin to brown and peppers and tender, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer vegetables to platter with chicken.
Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat. Mix in remaining 2 teaspoons chopped thyme, lemon peel and fennel seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drizzle butter mixture over chicken. Garnish chicken with thyme sprigs, if desired, and serve.
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