I love fennel in this simple recipe. Fennel is so versatile and it has attention-grabbing flavor. The fennel's natural sweetness adds such a great flavor to this delightful dish. Using a classic béchamel gives it a rich, deliciously creamy sauce. Paired it with truffle roasted potatoes and baby carrots!
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut up into pieces
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed
1/2 cup gruyere, grated
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. Wyler's chicken powder
Bechamel sauce (recipe below)
Instructions
For the Béchamel Sauce:
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until the consistency becomes like a smooth paste.
- Stir in the milk, whisking constantly until it starts to boil. Add the nutmeg, season with Wyler's chicken powder, pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lower heat, cover and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Season to taste - the sauce should not taste like flour. Remove from the heat
For the Chicken
- Cook the fennel bulb in a boiling water for 5 minutes then drain. Let it cool down and set aside
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Grease roasting or baking pan with 1 tablespoon of melted butter
- Cut the fennel bulb in half and remove the core from each one. Slice fennel lengthwise. Spread them out in the prepared pan
- Top with chicken and season with salt
- Pour in the sauce over the chicken and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown
- Sprinkle grated gruyere cheese and bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted
- Transfer to a plate and serve with truffle roasted petite potatoes and baby carrots
- Enjoy!
Posted in Daily Meal, Main Entree