Pair tart apples with chicken and fennel for an easy fall dinner

By Beth Dooley

The Minnesota Star Tribune

Chicken roasted with apples and fennel, a perfect fall pairing, is both weeknight-simple and dinner party-worthy.

Seasoned with rosemary, thyme and sage and drizzled with olive oil, the chicken turns tantalizingly crisp while the rendered fat bastes the onions, apples and fennel until they’re meltingly tender.

You want a good sharp apple to cut through the richness of the dark meat; the acidity also gives the dish a lift. The caramel notes of the crisped chicken skin echo that of the roasting apples. Do include the fennel. While some folks are put off by raw fennel’s pushy licorice taste, the flavors mellow as its edges soften and become slightly sweet and lush. Together, the apples and fennel become a nutty duo, more than the sum of their parts.

Fennel is more versatile and easier to work with than celery, its tough, stringy cousin. Fennel is also hardy enough to prepare in advance. Remove and discard the hard end of the bulb, then slice or chop it up and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Save the stalks for soup and the fronds for garnish. This cool-weather crop is now at its peak, as are our local apples. When at the farmers market, taste the apple samples and choose your favorites. Both are fabulous, raw and cooked.

This roast chicken, apple and fennel recipe is easily doubled for built-in leftovers, which can become the foundation for lunches and simple dinners. Toss the chicken into a salad; simmer the cooked veggies together in a stock for soup, or tangle with pasta and top with sharp cheese.

Try the apple-fennel slaw to serve alongside; it will last a few days in the refrigerator, too. Take a little extra time on Sunday and make it easy in the kitchen through the week.

Roast Chicken With Fennel and Apples

Chicken thighs are roasted with tart apples and fennel for a quick full-on autumn dinner. Sharp bright apples amplify the mellow anise notes of fennel to give the rich thighs a lift. Serve with a crisp apple-fennel slaw on the side.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 medium fennel bulb, fronds removed, cored and thinly sliced

1 tart apple, cored and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons mixture of chopped fresh parsley, rosemary and sage

1/4 cup hard or sweet cider

Fennel and apple slaw (recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS

1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2: Place chicken thighs in a 2-quart baking dish. Tuck the onion, fennel and apple slices around the chicken, and drizzle the olive oil over all. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and the fresh herbs, reserving some for garnish. Add the cider.

3: Roast until the chicken becomes crisp and the vegetables become caramelized and tender, about 25 to 35 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices. If the chicken skin is not fully crisped, run the chicken under the broiler for about 1 to 2 minutes.

4: Serve with fennel and apple slaw.

Simple Fennel and Apple Slaw

Use this crisp slaw to accompany the Roast Chicken With Fennel and Apples.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

1 teaspoon coarse mustard

3 tablespoons sunflower or hazelnut oil

1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin

1 large tart apple, cored and sliced thin

1 small onion, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts or walnuts

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, maple syrup and mustard, and then whisk in the oil. Put the fennel and apple into a medium bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and serve topped with the nuts.

Recipes from Beth Dooley, the author of “The Perennial Kitchen.”