Real Food For Your Life

I recently showed you how things can go horribly wrong when you over-think a dish. Today I am going to give you the original recipe, with an explanation of how it is executed.
I got the idea for this dish when I was looking through the excellent resource “The Flavor Bible.” If you are a serious cook, the book will help your creative juices by giving you a list of flavor profiles that go well with ingredients. (The link goes to my Amazon store.)
I knew that I wanted to do something with Star Anise, so I jumped to the section of Asian ingredients. I was thinking of Teriyaki as well, but not the cliché sauté you see pulled off. I saw oranges listed, and I immediately remembered about fennel braised in orange juice. Add in Shaoxing into that mix, and the whole package is neatly tied together.
I just mentioned that I did not want the cliché stir-fried teriyaki for this dish. Instead, I cut the chicken legs Chinese style. What does that mean?
You would normally separate the leg and thigh through the joint in the middle. With the Chinese cut, you put an additional cut through the middle of the thigh, and through the thick part of the drumstick. The idea is better portion control, even cooking, and a reduction in cooking time.
The problem with putting the components together and cooking them is that the chicken has a far longer cooking time then the fennel. Each component must be braised separately, the braising liquid combined for the final sauce, and then the construction of the final dish.
I prefer a low and slow braise for the chicken, and a quick braise for the fennel. It is important to do each separately, or you risk mushy fennel for the dish.

Loveliness on a plate!

Star Anise Chicken with Braised Fennel

Servings: 4 (2 protein, 1 fruit, 2 condiment, 1 vegetable)

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken legs with back attached, cut in the Chinese style
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar, grated (if you do not have palm sugar, brown sugar will be fine.)
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 pod star anise
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 1 ½ cups orange juice
• 1 bulb fennel, top removed
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 orange, segmented
• 1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped roughly
• 1 green onion, sliced on a bias

Method:

1. Add palm sugar and water to wok over medium high heat. Caramelize the sugar until almost black. Add the chicken to stop the caramel. Toss around in wok to get a good sear on the chicken. Add the ginger and garlic, star anise pods, orange juice and Shaoxing wine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then transfer into an oven at 275°F. Braise until the chicken is just cooked through and tender. (About 2 hours at that temperature.)
2. While the chicken is working, cut the fennel bulbs into wedges leaving the core intact. Place wedges cut side down in a shallow pan. Add chicken stock to the pan and place it over high heat, and bring it to a boil. Lower temperature to minimum needed to maintain a simmer. Cover the pan and braise the fennel until it is just tender. (About 30 minutes.) Remove fennel from the cooking liquid, add the cooking liquid to the chicken braising mixture.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, remove chicken pieces to a resting area. Reduce braising liquid over medium high heat until just thickened to sauce consistency, adjusting with cornstarch and water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the sauce, then strain it.
4. To build the dish, place orange segments and braised fennel in the bottom of the dish in an interesting pattern. Place braised chicken pieces on top of fennel and oranges, ladle a bit of sauce over that. Finish up with the coriander and green onions.
5. Serve with rice, if desired.

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