Yotam Ottolenghi Roasted Chicken With Clementines and Arak
4
servings
Main
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
6 tbsp
arak, ouzo, or Pernod
4 tbsp
olive oil
3 tbsp
freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tbsp
lemon juice
2 tbsp
mustard
3 tbsp
light brown sugar
2 md
fennel bulbs
1 lg
organic or free- range chicken, about 2 3/4 lb / 1.3 kg, divided into 8 pieces, or the same weight in skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
4
clementines, unpeeled, cut horizontally into 1/4-inch/0.5cm slices
1 tbsp
thyme leaves
2 tsp
fennel seeds, lightly crushed
0
salt
0
freshly ground black pepper
0
chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
All the intense flavors lavished on the poor chicken—arak, mustard, fennel, clementines with their skins, brown sugar—somehow manage to come together in a sweetly comforting dish you will always want to come back to. Serve it with plainly cooked rice or bulgur.
Directions
- Put the first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper. Whisk well and set aside.
- Trim the fennel and cut each bulb in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Add the fennel to the liquids, along with the chicken pieces, clementine slices, thyme, and fennel seeds.
- Stir well with your hands, then leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (skipping the marinating stage is also fine, if you are pressed for time).
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. Transfer the chicken and its marinade to a baking sheet large enough to accommodate everything comfortably in a single layer, roughly a 12-by-14-inch pan; the chicken skin should be facing up. Once the oven is hot enough, put the pan in the oven and roast for 35 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is colored and cooked through. Remove from the oven.
- Lift the chicken, fennel, and clementines from the pan and arrange on a serving plate; cover and keep warm. Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan, place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and then simmer until the sauce is reduced by one third, so you are left with about 1 cup.
- Pour the hot sauce over the chicken, garnish with some parsley, and serve.
Recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi