Baked Chicken with Potatoes, Fennel and Mint

• Recipe by Eugenia Bone and Edward Giobbi

The Good News Many of the main-course dishes in Italian Family Dining call for meat or fish cooked with a seasonal vegetable, eliminating the need for a side dish. The potatoes baked with the chicken here not only absorb the delicious meaty juices, they also deliver vitamins C and B6, as well as potassium.

Ingredients

1. 2 medium fennel bulbs, quartered and cored
2. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3. 4 whole chicken legs (3/4 pound each)—skin discarded, trimmed of all fat and separated into drumsticks and thighs
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 3/4 cup dry white wine
6. 1 cup water
7. 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (1/2 pound each), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
8. 1 large onion, thinly sliced
9. 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
10. 3 bay leaves
11. 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
12. 1 tablespoon chopped mint

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the fennel quarters over high heat for 5 minutes. Drain well and pat dry.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the chicken drumsticks and thighs with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a large roasting pan, arranging the pieces around the edge.
3. Add the wine to the skillet and simmer over moderate heat for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Add the water to the skillet and simmer for 1 minute, then pour the liquid into the roasting pan. Arrange the potato slices in the center of the pan in an even layer. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the onion slices on top of the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and mint over all. Arrange the fennel quarters over the onions. Cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes and fennel are tender.
4. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter. Discard the bay leaves. Set the roasting pan over high heat and boil until the pan juices are reduced to 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Season the juices with salt and pepper and pour into a warmed gravy boat. Serve the chicken, passing the juices separately at the table.

Notes

One Serving 473 cal, 15 gm total fat, 2.9 gm saturated fat, 36 gm carb, 6 gm fiber.