You can always count on food stylist Carol Smoler to know exactly what to serve at a dinner party. One day in the summer of 2019, I asked her if she had any recommendations for what to serve at a thrown-together party Nico and I were hosting the next day. This was her recommendation, and it was a huge hit. So much so that it’s become a staple in our house. Despite not having company over for nearly a year, we still make a large batch and eat it for days, the flavors melding with each other even more over time.
We also like to use Ricard or Pernod over Ottolenghi’s original Arak, although it’s totally a personal preference. You can use any anise flavored liquor: ouzo, pastis, absinthe, sambuca…especially if you’re looking for a little buzz while cooking. Just make sure to mix it with water and ice for an aperatif!
Below is our adaptation of Yotam’s Roasted chicken with clementines & arak.
dinner party chicken with clementine and fennel
Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 min – 8 hrs
Cook Time: 45-50 min
- 6 1/2 tablespoons pastis such as Pernod or Ricard
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- the juice of one clementine
- 3 tsbsp lemon juice (about one small lemon’s worth)
- 2 tbsp grain mustard
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 medium fennel bulbs, sliced into 8 wedges each
- a whole organic chicken, divided, or 8 chicken thighs with skin & bone
- 6 clementines washed, unpeeled and sliced thin
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2½ tsp fennel seeds, slightly crushed
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish (optional)
- In a large glass mixing bowl, whisk together pastis, olive oil, orange and lemon juices, mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
- Add fennel, chicken, clementine slices, thyme and crushed fennel seeds.
- Turn several times to coat. If time allows marinate chicken for several hours or preferably, overnight. Do not marinate in a metal bowl or pan.
- Preheat oven to 475°F/220°C.
- Transfer all ingredients, including marinade, to a large roasting pan. The chicken should be skin side up. Spoon some of the sauce on top of the thighs, and arrange the fennel down into the marinade with the clementines towards the top. The clementines and chicken should caramelize and turn a deep golden brown with crispy edges.
- Roast 40-45 minutes or until chicken is browned on top and 175° F/79°C. You want the chicken thighs to be cooked enough so that the connective tissue breaks down and becomes meltingly tender.
- If chicken is nearly done but anemic in color, place under the broiler for a minute or two until the skin becomes crispy and caramelized. This step will be worth it, believe me!
- Remove from the oven and place chicken, fennel and clementines onto a serving platter. Cover and keep warm. The cooked clementines are perfectly edible with the rind, but some guests may toss them to one side. No worries!
- Pour cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then simmer until sauce is reduced to about 1/3 cup. If you don’t have enough liquid, (I didn’t the first time I made this) you can skip this step.
- Pour heated sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.
