If you google 'chicken Bouillabaisse' you will find 101 various ways to make this chicken. However, in my opinion the closest recipes I found that true to its originality are from cooks.com and Karen's blog. So, let's begin, shall we?
Chicken Bouillabaisse
(I basically copied the recipe from Karen's, but I added Leek to make it more fragrant
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced
- 1 leek, cut and sliced
- 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel seed
- ½ teaspoon saffron threads, crushed lightly with back of a spoon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups canned diced or crushed tomatoes
- 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
- Fine sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- About 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 small orange or tangerine, halved
1. Fennel.
For those of you who have never dealt with fennel before, here is a clip to give you tutor how to cut it. Basically fennel is still in one family with onion, but what's make fennel more special is the liquorish smell once you cut it in half.
2. Leeks.
Leeks looks like a giant green onion. You need to wash it before you cook it. Here is a clip to show how to clean and cut leeks.
3. Saffron threads
What is saffron? Saffron is the little thread at the center of a small purple crocus, where the pollen catches and develops. You can find it at wholefoods, trader joe's, safeway, any American grocery store. The price is quite pricey for just a bulk of threads. However, these Spanish threads makes the Bouillabaisse sauce fragrant and spicy.
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How to do?
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large, deep skillet or in a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onion and fennel, and leek slowly until tender – watch the heat so they don’t brown. I like to cover the pot slightly to help them sweat it out.
3. Stir in the garlic, thyme, fennel seed, saffron and cayenne and cook for a minute or two, until the mixture is fragrant.
4. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the wine to the pan; cook for one minute and add the tomatoes. Bring to a lively simmer and cook until the tomato juices are reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
5. Season the chicken generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken in the pan, nestling the pieces among and under the vegetables. Pour in enough stock to just barley cover the chicken. Toss the orange halves in the pan and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven.
6. Check the chicken after 25 minutes – it should be very tender when poked with a fork. It not, return the pan to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
7. Serve the chicken over buttery couscous with lots of the sauce spooned over. If you can make this a day ahead or save some leftovers, the chicken will soak in the aromatic sauce and it will taste even better!
