Chicken With Fennel And Olives Ala Marie

I like Mexican, I like German, I like Greek, I like just about all cuisines, but if I had to pick just one, it would be Italian. So a few weeks ago, when Marie, over at Proud Italian Cook posted this recipe, I knew I had to try it as soon as Bev was allowed to eat carbs on her diet. Marie served hers over creamy polenta (sounded great), which Bev can’t eat, nor can she eat normal pasta, but she had decided the Dreamfields version would be okay.

While it’s still made with durum wheat semolina, it’s processed in such a way as to allow your body to only absorb 5 grams of carbohydrates per serving. I decided to use ingredients we had on hand so the recipe became:

1 lb Dreamfields spaghetti (I wanted leftovers for another dish)
4 large split chicken breasts, bone removed but skin on (to help prevent drying out)
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 onion, sliced (I chopped due to a bad onion)
8 garlic cloves, pressed
14 oz diced tomatoes
1 cup stuffed green olives (1/2 cup of chopped would have been perfect for us)
1 1/2 tsp dried Italian spices
White wine

I followed Marie’s directions as written, except for the last sentence – check her site for excellent pictures.

In a large oven proof skillet brown up your chicken which has been seasoned with salt and pepper until it has a nice deep golden color, remove and drain the fat.

Drizzle in some olive oil and saute the garlic, onion and fennel and then deglaze with a healthy splash of white wine. Add in your herbs, salt and pepper, then place the chicken back in (tomatoes went in here also). Spread your olives all around then place the pan in a preheated 375F oven until a probe thermometer gives an internal breast temperature of 160* - they should go up to 165,* which is what I want.

And this is my plate after adding some grated parmesan and red pepper flakes.

I enjoyed the dish but would make several changes next time to the recipe I ended up using.  I would use 2 1/2 tsp of dried spices and sprinkle a little on the chicken.  I like olives and even though whole ones make a better picture, I'd quarter them in hopes of getting some in every bite.  I don't think a sauce this chunky worked well with the spaghetti - it's hard to get chunks when rolling it up, so I'd use a small shaped pasta next time, or more preferably the creamy polenta.  I couldn't tell any difference between Dreamfields and regular pasta in taste or texture.  All-in-all, it was a very enjoyable dinner and I ate leftovers for lunch and supper the next day.

Have a great day and thanks for visiting.

Larry