Chicken, orzo, lemon and fennel slowly cooked in broth and finished with crème fraiche and tarragon

An uplifting Mediterranean style winter stew that just oozes comfort for these colder months. Couldn’t be simpler to make, I’m gonna jot down a rough guide, you really don’t need a recipe for this one. 

Roughly chop a large leek and two bulbs of fennel then peel and slice the zest of a lemon.

Fry 6 chicken thighs skin side down in olive oil until wonderfully crisp and caramelised, then turn and do the same for the other side before removing from the pan. Turn the heat down and add three cloves of garlic and the sliced lemon to briefly infuse the oil, then add the leek, bay leaves and fennel. Deglaze with white wine, cook off the alcohol and then cover in good chicken stock. Season generously and bring up to a simmer for 10 minutes. Then add green olives, orzo and the chicken back in. Cook for another 5-8 minutes until the chicken and orzo are cooked, then taste the broth and adjust the seasoning. Serve with lots of the broth, a spoon of crème fraiche and some tarragon.
SO GOOD