Bouillabaisse De Poulet

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients

• 6-8 boneless chicken thighs, skin on
• seasoned flour for coating chicken
• 3 tbl olive oil
• 1 large onion, thickly sliced
• 2 fennel bulbs, thickly sliced, feathery leaves reserved
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted cumin seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 400gm tin Italian tomatoes, crushed
• 2 tbl tomato paste
• 1/3 cup Pernod or Pastis
• pinch of saffron
• zest of ½ an orange
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken stock
• 500gm cooked waxy potatoes
• reserved fennel fronds or chopped dill

Method

Toss the chicken thighs in the seasoned flour. Heat a large sauté pan with the oil and cook chicken until golden on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onion, fennel, garlic, cumin seeds and bayleaves, season with salt and pepper and cook gently until the onions and fennel are tender – about 15 minutes .

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, Pernod, saffron, orange zest and the thyme and cook for 2 minutes.

Cut the chicken into large chunks and return, with the stock and the potatoes, to the pan. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked. Taste for seasoning and add the chopped fennel fronds or dill just before serving.

To serve divide the bouillabaisse between individual bowls or place in one large dish.

Serve accompanied by large dollops of rouille and slices of grilled bread.