Chicken breasts with fennel
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 2 large carrots, peeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 30g/1oz butter
- 2 tbsp fresh fennel seeds
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the marinade
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 2 lemons, juice only
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- pinch salt
- pinch cayenne pepper
Method
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a wide, shallow bowl, adding a little salt. Add the chicken breasts and turn them to coat thoroughly. Cover with cling film and leave for 1 hour, turning them halfway.
Cut the fennel lengthways into 5mm/¼in thick slices. Blanch in salted boiling water for 5 minutes, refresh and drain.
Cut the carrots into 5mm/¼in diagonal slices. Do not cook the vegetables together. Score the surface, then blanch for 3 minutes, refresh and drain. Lightly brush the fennel and carrots with olive oil.
Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Add the fennel first, then the carrots and griddle for 5-10 minutes, giving them a quarter-turn to mark attractively. Turn them over and repeat on the other side. Season, place on a plate and keep hot.
Put the chicken breasts in the hot griddle pan, skin side down. Once they are marked with lines, quarter-turn to make a lattice pattern. Turn them over, lower the heat and give them a quarter-turn as before. Cook for 12-15 minutes in total, depending on thickness.
Arrange the fennel slices on plates and top with the chicken. Place the carrots alongside. Put a knob of butter on each chicken breast and top with fennel seeds.