Tuesday Tasties No.12

Another week has zoomed by, I'm sure everyone has been indulging at staff Christmas parties, pre-festive get togethers with friends and your liver is crying out for a break (maybe it's only me?).  If you're after a light dish which is cheap, quick to prepare and might make you feel as though you're doing your body a nice healthy favour then look no further!

Chicken with Beans and Fennel

 

Please stick with me on this one, it's not a boring as the recipe name may suggest.  The fennel gives this dish a lovely aniseed flavour and once it's cooked, it looks incredibly inviting to eat.  Just what the Dr ordered. You'll need:

• Olive oil
• 2 Chicken Breasts or Legs with the skin on
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• A bulb of fennel, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• One can of beans - these can be either butter beans, canellini beans or flageolet beans - drained
• 200ml of chicken stock

Again, the first thing you want to do is wack the oven on to 200 degree and grab yourself an oven proof dish.

Next, heat the pan and cook your chicken skin side down for around 5 minutes so the skin goes a lovely golden colour.  The, set your chicken to one side.

In the same pan (with all the chicken juices in!) and the garlic, celery and fennel and cook until they're beginning to sweat.  You can add some more oil if you think it may need this.  You'll know you've hit the right level of sweating as you'll be able to smell the fennel.

Then add the stock and beans and give it a quick swish around the pan. Pop the bean/fennel mixture into the oven proof dish and place your chicken on the top (skin side up in case you're not sure!).  

Stick this into your oven for around 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.  A good way to test this is to insert a skewer into the biggest part, if the juices come out clear, then you're as right as rain.  Plate up with the chicken on the top, this will ensure the skin stays nice and crispy.

Hope you enjoy this one, it'll certainly earn you some brownie points on the health front!

This was taken from the Waitrose Kitchen Magazine - a gold mine for food based inspiration!