Braised Chicken with Saffron Fettuccini Noodles

Chicken and Sauce

Step 1

Quarter chicken into 2 breasts and 2 whole leg pieces, saving back and wings for later use, such as for making stock. Dry chicken pieces with paper towels and season the chicken generously with salt and black pepper, to taste.

Step 2

Bring the chicken stock to a gently simmer in a saucepan; add saffron threads and keep warm; setting it aside.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in a deep sauté pan or Dutch oven large enough to hold chicken pieces in a single layer (depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do it in batches). Add chicken, skin side down, and brown on both sides over high heat until golden. Set chicken aside, wipe out pan.

Step 4

In the same pan, bring heat to medium, add additional olive oil (1 - 2 tablespoons), cook onions, leeks, garlic, and fennel over medium heat, stirring until soft but not browned, 5 - 8 minutes. Add tomato paste, and stir 2 - 3 minutes more. Add wine, 2 cups of the saffron infused stock, chili flakes, and fresh thyme, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 5

Return chicken pieces with any accumulated juiced to pan, and add Pernod, if desired. Add enough of the remaining stock to come halfway up chicken. Simmer for 20 minutes before removing breasts. Simmer another 15 minutes and remove leg pieces. Strain cooking liquid, discarding solids, and season resulting sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Noodles

Step 6

Cook noodles according to package instructions in a large pot of lightly boiling water to which you've add 2 tablespoon salt.

To Serve

Step 7

Place the finished sauce into a pan large enough to hold all of the noodles. Toss sauce with noodles, then divide between 4 warm bowls and top each with a piece of chicken.