Five-spice roast chicken with fennel and orange
With garlic-y sautéd greens
Also an optional leftover-chicken pho
Some notes on Five Spice … warm spicy-sweet Asian spice blend typically made up of fennel seeds, anise, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Some mixes use white pepper or Szechuan peppercorns. Those made with Szechuan pepper WILL be spicier. It’s available at most grocery stores in the spice section. Alternatively! you can make your own - which is what I did :) I started with whole spices, lightly toasted them in a dry skillet then ground to a powder in my mortar and pestle.
Chicken + marinade
1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs)
Salt
1 heaping tablespoon five spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon chile flakes
zest of half an orange
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Roast
1 fennel
1 orange (use the same one you zested for marinade), sliced into thin rounds. Use leftover orange slices for cocktails :)
1 whole garlic head, excess papery skin removed, cut in half
To serve
Green vegetable of choice - I used spigarello (like kale and broccolini had a baby) but any type of sauté-able green would work - green beans, bok choy, kale, broccolini, mustard greens
Fennel fronds
Cilantro
If I plan to roast a chicken for dinner, I usually season in the morning to give it at least 8 hours to marinade.
I wouldn’t go longer than 18. If you’re short on time, a couple hours will work just fine!
Place chicken on a baking sheet or large plate and generously sprinkle salt all over. 1 teaspoon kosher salt per lb of chicken is a good measure. Tbh I think I do a bit more :/ Make sure to season its back and inside the cavity!
Combine five spice, ginger, chile flakes, orange zest, rice vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Rub marinade all over chicken after salting. Cover and place in the fridge.
1-2 hours before you plan to cook, remove chicken from fridge in order come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400F.
Slice fennel in half and remove outer layer if needed (save for stock!) Slice each half into 3-4 thick pieces.
In a medium cast iron pan*, arrange fennel slices, garlic head and 4-5 orange slices loosely around the outer rim. Drizzle with a little olive oil and lightly season with salt. Nestle chicken in the center.
Roast uncovered for 45 mins - 1 hour until its temperature reads 160F. My oven conducts heat POORLY so I roast for 45 mins and then broil for 5-10 to crisp the skin. Whatever works for you but crispy skin is crucial.
Remove chicken, roasted fennel and orange from the pan and let rest on a cutting board while you cook greens.
Using the back of a fork, squeeze roasted garlic gloves out of the skin. You can use as much of the whole head as you want. They should be well roasted and caramelized thus sweet and wayyyy more mild than raw garlic. If you don’t use it all, save the rest for a salad dressing or whatever!
Combine mashed garlic with the chicken juices leftover in the pan. Add a splash of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add greens of choice, season and sauté in pan until tender.
Carve chicken into 8-10 pieces and arrange on one big platter along with roasted fennel and oranges pieces and sautéd greens. Pour any leftover juices over the whole thing and garnish with fennel fronds, chopped cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with coconut crispy rice!
*If you don’t have a cast iron, a shallow dutch oven or any type of oven-safe sauté pan would work. The point is to minimize the amount of dishes and be able to use the same vessle you roasted the chicken in to cook the greens. BUT worst case you don’t have any of these things, just roast the chicken on a normal baking sheet and cook greens in a separate pan.
Chances are, you have leftovers…
The chicken is already seasoned perfectly for some type of spicy soup. Make pho!
Broth:
Leftover chicken carcass
Leftover fennel scraps
1 onion, skin on, charred over gas flame, cut in half
1 garlic head, skin on, charred over gas flame, cut in half
2 knobs of ginger, peeled, charred over gas flame
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
1 star anise
2 teaspoons whole coriander
2 bay leaves
2 keffir lime leaves
Pho:
Leftover chicken, thinly sliced or shredded
Rice noodles, cooked according to instructions on packet
Bean sprouts
Basil and cilantro
Green onion, thinly sliced
Sriracha
Hoisin sauce
Lime wedges
Combine all broth ingredients in a large pot.
Cover by a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook for ~2 hours.
Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve*. Return broth to pot and season with salt and/or soy sauce.
Build your pho :) — place noodles, chicken and whatever topping you please in individual bowls. Pour hot broth directly on top and enjoyyyy :)))
*If you have extra broth, freeze for another use before seasoning.