Lebanese stew with chicken, fennel, and sweet potato

Course: Main courses

Cuisine: Lebanese

Keyword: Stew, Warming dish

Seizoen: Autumn, Winter

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1

Servings: servings

Calories: 481kcal

Author: Diana Westerhof

A Lebanese stew, gently spiced with tender chicken thighs, sweet potato, and fennel, stewed in a warm sauce with cinnamon, allspice, and citrus. Finished with fresh parsley for a fresh, green touch. Warming dish with an oriental twist.

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Ingredients

500 g chicken thighs boneless
2 fennel bulbs keep greens separate
2 sweet potatoes medium-sized
2 red onions
3 cloves garlic
1.5 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp allspice powder
0.5 tsp cumin powder
pinch nutmeg
1 orange the juice and pulp
1 lemon the juice
400 ml water
2 sprigs thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
16 black olives pitted
2 tbsp parsley finely chopped
salt
pepper

Instructions

Preparation

Cut 500 g chicken thighs into large pieces and season them with salt and pepper. Clean 2 fennel bulbs, slice them thinly, and set the greens aside. Peel 2 sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes of about 2 cm. Slice 2 red onions into half rings and finely chop 3 cloves garlic. Juice 1 orange and also collect the pulp. Do the same with 1 lemon. Boil 400 ml water, remove the pan from the heat, and set aside. Strip the leaves from 2 sprigs thyme.

Cooking

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large casserole over medium heat. Brown the chicken thighs in batches on all sides. Remove them from the pan and set aside. Sauté the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes in the same oil until translucent. Add the fennel and cook for another 4 minutes. Add the sweet potato cubes and stir well.
Sprinkle 1.5 tsp cinnamon powder, 1 tsp allspice powder, 0.5 tsp cumin powder and a pinch nutmeg over the vegetables and cook briefly until fragrant. Deglaze with the orange and lemon juice plus 400 ml boiling water. Add the thyme, bring to a boil, and return the chicken thighs to the pan. Stir everything well, lower the heat, and let simmer gently with the lid on for 35 minutes. Stir carefully halfway through.
After 35 minutes, add the 16 black olives and let the dish simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes so the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning with pepper or extra lemon juice if necessary.

To serve

Just before serving, sprinkle the finely chopped 2 tbsp parsley and optionally some of the fennel greens over the stew. Serve with bulgur, rice, or warm flatbread to dip in the fragrant sauce.

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