Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s roasted chicken with clementines and arak. This is a such a great choice for entertaining a crowd. With all the prep work done ahead of time, that makes for a very relaxed hostess. In addition, you’ll find the flavors are intense and anything but ordinary. You and your guests will love this dish. I often serve some jasmine rice, a slice of good bread and a simple salad.
INGREDIENTS
6 1/2 Tbs. Pernod (Anise liquor)
4 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 Tbs. whole grain mustard
3 Tbs. light brown sugar
2 medium fennel bulbs
2-3 lbs. chicken thighs or 1 large chicken, cut into 8 pieces
4 clementines, unpeeled, sliced into 1/4″ pieces
1 Tbs. thyme leaves
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish
DIRECTIONS
First of all, place the first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add 2 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 1/2 tsp. pepper, whisk together and set aside. On the other hand, I usually use a large zippered bag (or two) to marinate this in. I find it is easier to mix and rotate throughout the marinating process, as a result, all the goodies will reach all parts of the chicken..
Trim the fennel and cut each bulb in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 wedges. Add the fennel to the liquids, along with the chicken, sliced clementines and thyme. Mix well, refrigerate and marinate for a couple of hours or overnight.
If you are very short on time and still want to make this dish, you could certainly shorten the marinating time. On the other hand, know that you may be compromising the intensity of the flavors. Consequently, I would shoot for at least a full hour of martinating.
Preheat oven to 425º
Transfer the chicken and marinade mixture to a rimmed sheet pan or baking dish, large enough for everything to be in one layer. More importantly, make sure the chicken is skin side up, to ensure proper browning/crisping of the skin. During the cooking, check to ensure the chicken pieces are getting browned and move things around a bit if needed.
Roast for 35-45 minutes, until the chicken is nicely browned and cooked through.
Next, remove chicken, fennel and clementines from the pan and arrange nicely on a large serving plate, cover and keep warm. Meanwhile, pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan, place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce until it is reduced by about one third, you should end up with about 1/3 – 1/2 cup. Finally, pour the hot sauce over the chicken, garnish with the parsley and serve.
