Chicken, Fennel, and Artichoke Fricassee

This chicken fricassee recipe is made using only one pan and features the spring-forward flavors of fennel and artichokes in a tangy, vinegar-boosted sauce. It calls for a whole chicken cut into parts, which will please light and dark meat lovers alike. As the chicken braises, the fennel and artichokes soften slightly, lending their flavor to the cooking liquid. Between the stovetop and oven, this recipe only requires about 35 minutes of cook time before it’s ready to hit the table. It’s delicious served on its own, but the addition of steamed rice, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread for soaking up the sauce would certainly be welcome.

Prepping Fennel for This Recipe

Crunchy, anise-flavored fennel adds its mellow sweetness to this recipe. While you'll usually want to core it for most uses, here it's helpful to leave the core in to help hold the slices of the bulb together. To prep the fennel, trim off the stalks where they meet the bulb; you can discard the stalks, but save some of the fronds for garnish. If the outer layer of the bulb is wrinkled or browned, peel it off. Cut the bulb in half, then slice it lengthwise into quarter-inch-thick pieces.

Cutting Up a Whole Chicken

You can ask your butcher to cut a whole chicken into parts, but it's also quite easy to do at home.

1. Begin by cutting off the legs, popping each thigh bone out of the socket where it meets the breast and slicing around it.
2. To separate the drumstick from the thigh, place it skin-side down on your cutting board and look for the white line of fat that runs between the two pieces; cut straight down through it.
3. Pull the wings away from each side of the breast, then cut them off. Lift up the chicken and cut downward through the rib cage and then shoulder joints to separate the breast from the back. (Tip: Save the rib cage and wings for a future chicken stock.)
4. Place the breast skin-side down on your cutting board and press firmly to flatten it. Cut straight through the center breast bone to form two halves, then cut each one into two pieces.