Chicken with Olives and Fennel Seeds
Instructions:
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 chicken, 3 to 3 1/ 2 pounds, preferably free range (1.35 to 1.575 kg)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 / 2 cup extra virgin olive oil (120 ml)
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 peperoncino, or hot red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 cup dry white wine (250 ml)
- 1/ 2 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted (200 g)
- Toast the fennel seeds in a small dry frying pan over moderate heat, stirring, until they are fragrant and light brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool, then grind in a spice or coffee grinder or crush with a meat pounder or a heavy pan.
- Rinse the chicken and cut it into 10 pieces. Dry on paper towels and season well with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet and add the garlic and peperoncino. Cook slowly until the garlic is brown and then discard both garlic and peperoncino.
- Raise the heat to moderately high, add the chicken, and brown about 5 minutes on each side, shaking the pan often. Pour in the wine and boil until it is reduced by about half. Sprinkle the fennel seeds over the chicken, stir in the anchovy paste, and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the pieces twice. Remove the lid, add the olives, and simmer for 10 minutes longer.