A quick and super tasty weekday stir-fry!

When I came across a couple of recipes with stir-fried fennel this weekend, I decided to give it go with the chicken and baby potatoes I already had at home.

The recipe 

• 2 chicken fillets, diced and spiced with your favorite chicken seasoning
• 500g / 17½ oz baby potatoes, skin on, washed
• 6 spring onions, thinly sliced on an angle
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (about 2mm)
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• fresh coriander, finely chopped
• fresh chives, finely chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Boil the baby potatoes for about 20 minutes in salted water until just cooked. Drain and set aside until slightly cooled. Halve if necessary for bite-size pieces.
2. In the meantime dice the chicken and cover with the seasoning, prep the vegetables and herbs
3. Preheat a wok on high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the cubed chicken a couple of minutes until browned
4. Add the fennel, baby potatoes, garlic, and spring onions and stir-fry for another 5 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if needed
5. Add coriander, chives, season with salt and pepper and serve!

What worked and what didn’t:
I really like fennel and its mild aniseedy flavor and crunchy texture when raw. However, when fennel is cooked its flavor becomes more delicate, slightly sweetish. As the texture softens I tried to keep a slight crunch on the fennel for maximum flavor/texture combination.

The sweetness of the fennel really went well with coriander and paprika based chicken seasoning. The potatoes gave the dish some more body and I sprinkled over some leftover Gruyèere cheese from my onion soup recipe. Very nice indeed and ready in 30 minutes (or less).

Verdict: 8/10; Will be made again