Chicken en cocotte

Cooking en cocotte is a simple French method of preparing poultry, meat or fish: First, the meat – in this case, chicken – is browned in a heavy cocotte, a cast-iron casserole; then it's covered and cooked in the oven or on the stovetop, resulting in a moist, flavourful dish. The sauce in this recipe combines fennel, tomatoes and tarragon. Serve with orzo and a salad.

Servings: 4

Ready Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 3-pound (1.5-kilogram) chicken

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup onion, diced in 1-inch pieces

1 small head fennel, diced in 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 cup chopped canned or fresh tomatoes

¼ cup chicken stock

Method

Preheat oven to 400 F. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat butter in a small Dutch oven or oven-proof casserole over medium heat. (If you don’t have such a cocotte, brown in a skillet, then transfer to a covered baking dish.) Brown chicken, breast side down, until golden (about 3 minutes). Turn on its side and brown another 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining sides. Remove chicken and drain off all but 2 tablespoons fat.

Add onion to casserole and sauté 1 minute. Add fennel and tarragon. Sauté until softened (about 5 minutes). Add tomatoes and stock and bring to boil.

Return chicken to pan, breast side up. Cover and bake for 55 minutes, basting occasionally, or until juices run clear.

Transfer chicken from pan to carving board and cover with tea towel to keep warm. Skim fat from casserole and bring sauce to boil to combine flavours. Season with salt and pepper. Carve chicken and serve with sauce.

Garnish with fennel sprigs.