Tomato Fennel Braised Chicken Thighs

Tomato Fennel Braised Chicken Thighs

One of my very favorite flavor combinations is tomato and fennel. I love the flavor boost that fennel gives to a great tomato sauce and when you slowly braise chicken thighs in that sauce to tender deliciousness, it just gets even better.  We like to serve this over pasta or rice for one delicious slow cooked comfort food dinner.

• 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and pepper to season chicken
• Flour for dredging chicken
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 6 large ripe tomatoes, diced
• ½ large bulb fennel (or one small bulb ), diced
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 large red onion diced
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and then dredge them in plain flour. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, making sure to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

In a covered roasting pan toss together the remaining ingredients. Add the browned chicken thighs on top of the vegetables and pour the chicken stock over everything. Cover and roast at 300 degrees F for about 90 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked off and the chicken is tender and falling apart.

To serve, you can either spoon the vegetables over rice or pasta or, if you prefer, process them slightly in a foods processor to make a sauce.