Chicken Fennel Bake

[Diane Lane]

I was watching Ree Drummond this morning as I made my Honey Cake and she was making 5 ingredient dinners. She obviously doesn't count spices, herbs and the like in the ingredients, but some of the recipes looked really delicious. I have never used fennel in cooking, other than as a spice, so I think I will try to get some and make this recipe.

Ordinarily I don't like chicken thighs cooked in the oven, but after seeing her make this recipe, it seemed that the thighs came out similar to how mine come out when I grill them. She doesn't use a traditional pan, just a cookie sheet with a lip, similar to a jelly roll pan, which I found interesting. Maybe that's why I don't usually care for thighs cooked in the oven...the dishes are deep and there's too much liquid, so they don't get as crispy as I like. This sounds like a nice alternative to grilling, for when I don't have charcoal, or the weather is inclement. Here's the recipe for her Chicken Fennel Bake.

 

[L_B]

Thanks for another great recipe. I usually don't care for chicken thighs in the oven either. They just don't cook the way that I like them. I may have to give this recipe a try. I am missing grilling so much lately. The winters are so long. Camping season can't come soon enough for me. I love grilled chicken.

 

[Diane Lane]

I still haven't gone to the grocery store. I'm trying to hold off until after the bad weather for the next couple of days. If I wait until Friday, there will be another Friday Freebie to pick up at Kroger, so that'll be nice. I already have one or two of them on my card. I don't look in depth in the produce section, but I remember in the past they didn't have eggplant there when I needed it. I had to drive to another grocery store to get it, and I let them know on the feedback survey that I wasn't happy about that. Ever since, I've seen eggplant in stock, so if they don't have fennel, I'll do the same. I've seen more and more recipes calling for it, so hopefully they will have some on hand.

 

[L_B]

It is nice when a store listens to your concerns and does what it takes to make it's customers happy. There is a little corner store close to where I live and you go there quite often to pick up things rather then go to the grocery store. If he doesn't have something in stock we are looking for we always mention it to him and then they next time we go there he will have a few there if we want it.

 

[Diane Lane]

That sounds like a good corner store. I don't often go to the one here in my neighborhood, but I had to the other day, because I was driving on fumes and was concerned I wouldn't make it to a regular gas station. I was so low I didn't even ask the cost of the gas, just got enough to last me for a while. I actually went grocery shopping, but even though I got the chicken thighs for the recipe, I forgot about the fennel. Hopefully I'll get back there this week and they'll have some. If not, I'll be grilling them up, since the weather's been amazing, and it's supposed to stay this way for a bit.