This roast chicken and fennel with mashed potatoes is the new dinner superhero, perfect for those nights where you don’t REALLY want to cook but you don’t want to get takeout either.

For this recipe, we used silk chili peppers, a Turkish chili pepper flake, also known as Urfa pepper. You can use regular crushed red pepper or Aleppo pepper flakes if they are easier to find.

This chicken and fennel recipe is super basic but here’s a breakdown of what you’ll do:

Get your potatoes boiling for the mashed potatoes Render the chicken fat by searing the thighs, skin-side down, in a very hot skillet until the skins are ultra-crispy. Prepare the sauce by sautéing the aromatics first (fennel and onion) and then adding tomato, lemon, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Deglaze the pot with a bit of water, wine, or stock. Mount butter into the stock and let it cook for a minute or two to thicken. Plop the chicken on top and roast until cooked through.

Before you know it, you’ll be serving a beautiful roast chicken and fennel dish that will compete with any restaurant, I promise.

Roast Chicken and Fennel with Mashed Potatoes This roast chicken and fennel with mashed potatoes is the new dinner superhero, perfect for those nights where you don’t REALLY want to cook but you don’t want to get takeout either. 5 from 1 vote Print Pin Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Servings: 4 Calories: 961 kcal Author: Kylie Perrotti Equipment Ovenproof skillet

Medium pot Ingredients Roast Chicken and Fennel: 8 skin-on chicken thighs

1 teaspoon neutral cooking oil

1 yellow onion peeled and diced

1 fennel bulb cored and sliced, fronds reserved

1 pint cherry tomatoes halved or left whole

5 cloves garlic peeled, crushed, and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup water, wine, or stock plus more as needed

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste Mashed Potatoes 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes peeled and quartered

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons roasted garlic powder (or regular garlic powder)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste Instructions Cook the Mashed Potatoes: Cover the quartered potatoes with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. Drain and return to the pot.

Turn the heat on the pan to low and add the butter, garlic powder, heavy cream, salt, and pepper.

Using a hand mixer, blend the potatoes until smooth and creamy. Taste and season again to your preferences. Keep warm. Cook the Chicken: Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Add 1 teaspoon of frying oil to the skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Pat the chicken dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Once hot, add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook for 5-7 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Cook the chicken in batches, if needed. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more before transferring to a plate.

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

Add the onion and fennel to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper flakes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Season everything with salt and pepper/

Pour in the water, wine, or stock and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom.

Mount the butter into the liquid and allow it to melt completely before stirring the sauce. Taste and season to your preferences. Turn off the heat.

Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetables and transfer to the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165ºF on an instant-read thermometer. Remove and set aside. To Serve: Reheat the mashed potatoes slightly before serving.

Arrange the mashed potatoes between shallow bowls and spoon the broth from the skillet on top along with the fennel and tomatoes. Place 1-2 chicken thighs on top of each dish and garnish with more pepper flakes and the reserved fennel fronds. Enjoy! Nutrition Calories: 961 kcal | Carbohydrates: 29 g | Protein: 53 g | Fat: 71 g | Saturated Fat: 27 g | Cholesterol: 354 mg | Sodium: 399 mg | Potassium: 1648 mg | Fiber: 6 g | Sugar: 4 g | Vitamin A: 1818 IU | Vitamin C: 53 mg | Calcium: 131 mg | Iron: 7 mg

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