i’m so jazzed to be back in my kitchen. :) and so happy that the warm summer weather seems to have followed us into september. what a perfect excuse to host an impromptu dinner party on a schoolnight.
fennel & blueberries were the feature ingredients for the evening’s culinary experiment. i wasn’t quite sure how these two flavours would work together… but it was like mmmmagic! :)
the roasted fennel:
– the fennel will take approx 30-35min for prep/cooking time, so best to start the fennel before starting the chicken. check out the previous yumyumyummers recipe for roasted fennel. easypeasy recipe and a fantastic side dish with chicken.
(tip: i didn’t have any extra-virgin olive oil or ground black peppercorns in my pantry at the time — shocking, i know! so i substituted them with a bit of unsalted butter and herbes de provence. besides, doesn’t butter make everything delish?)
the blueberry poppyseed chicken:
– heat up 1 tbsp unsalted butter in a large saucepan
– add 5-6 small chicken thighs (boneless) to pan
– season generously w/ herbes de provence
– season w/ 1-2 tsp blue poppyseeds
– add 1 tbsp unsalted butter to pan
– brown chicken on medium heat for a few min on both sides, before adding the other ingredients
– once chicken thighs are almost cooked through (no longer pink inside), add 1/2 cup fresh blueberries & 1/4 cup sheep cheese to pan
– simmer for 1-2min until cheese melts and blueberries are slightly reduced. remove from heat.
(tip: don’t add the blueberries to the pan too early or stir too frequently, or you might end up with purple chicken! and, if your dinner guests aren’t too keen on sheep cheese, you can skip the cheese or add it to only some of the chicken.)
the ruby chard
– heat up 2 tsp unsalted butter in a large wok
– wash & drain 2 bunches of organic ruby chard in colander w/ cold water
– remove stems from chard
– add chard to pan
– sauté for 2-3min until leaves are wilted and a darker shade of green
food styling:
– plate 2-3 small pieces of blueberry poppyseed chicken
– add a generous portion of sauteed ruby chard & roasted fennel on the side
– pairs well w/ your fave (not-too-sweet) riesling
yumyumyummers 
The blueberry chicken sounds amazingly delicious. I never would have thought to use blueberries on chicken, but why not! And with butter…um, yum! The chard looks delicious as well – it’s one of those foods that always makes me think of “Chopped” on the Foodnetwork. I swear they are always using chard. ;)
LikeLike
blueberry on chicken is surprisingly tasty. :) i’m on a bit of fresh fruit kick these days — just bought 2 lbs of fresh blueberries this weekend! so looking for inventive ways to infuse blueberries into my cooking, aside from my morning smoothie. any tips?
LikeLike
I love this combination, earthy and sweet all at once. Seems like it’d be so well balanced. Glad you’re back in the kitchen. That and seeing the dogs are my favorite parts of coming home.
LikeLike
thanks, greg. feels great to be back! :) thanks again for introducing me to fennel.
LikeLike
Mmm blueberry poppyseed. Sounds like magic to me! I agree, it always feels so great to get back in the kitchen. :)
LikeLike
lol. magic! i heart blueberries.
LikeLike