Poulet au Pastis (Chicken with Anise Liqueur)

Prep Time: 1h

Cook Time: 2h

Total Time: 12h

Yield: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 200 ml pastis (or other herbal liquor)
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1 unit grounded saffron
• 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 chicken
• 1 onion
• 2 big tomatoes
• 6-8 potatoes (depending size)
• 1/2 fennel bulb (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 drop mustard
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 bread (french baguette, but well .. take what you can find)
• salt
• pepper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steps:

1. Cut the chicken in pieces. I usually prefer to remove the main bones to avoid having them in the sauce, but it's up to you.

 
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2. Prepare the marinade: Put the pastis, the olive oil, saffron and fennel seeds in a glass.

 
3. Put the chicken in a plate, cover with the marinade, close the lid, shake and put in the fridge for 8 hours.

 
4. Take some rest, have a good sleep, get an arms and shoulders massage. You'll need it on day two.
5. Next day, get your chicken and marinade out of the fridge.
6. Cut the onion in small bits. Boil peel the tomatoes and cut in chunks. Skin the potatoes and cut in slices. Wash the fennel bulb and cut in bits (more or less large depending on your taste).

 

 

 
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7. Tired already? We just stated the easy part.
8. In a large pan, put a tablespoon of olive oil and cook the onions.

 
9. When blond, add the chicken and move regularly so it doesn't attach and cook for 5 minutes.

 
10. Add the fennel, the tomatoes, cover with the marinade and water, salt, pepper.

 

 
11. Cook on middle/low fire for 20 minutes without lid, to evaporate alcohol. I usually smell, and when it doesn't smell alcohol anymore, I proceed to the next step.

 
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12. Lower fire, add the sliced potatoes, cover and leave it to cook for 1 hour.

 
13. Get a bowl, crush the garlic (use a garlic crusher or use a mortar and pestle). If you're really lazy, jump to last step.

 

 
14. Add the egg yolks, the drop of stong mustard, salt.

 

 
15. Start whipping with a fork.

 
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16. Add some drops of olive oil, whip untill it's well integrated.
17. Add some drops of olive oil, whip untill it's well integrated.

 
18. Repeat. Seriously, you thought I told you to take rest as a joke? The aioli will need 20-30 minutes of constant whipping and roughly 2 tablespoons of oil in total, drop by drop. The target is a thick mayonnaise that holds itself. Yes, mine is not perfect, maybe 5 minutes more of whipping, but it held itself.

 
19. Put the aioli in the fridge.
20. Prepare the bread: cut in slices.

 
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21. Put on a oven plate, 180°C (350 F), 5 minutes. get out, done. Pfew, finally an easy part.

 
22. When cooked, dress your plate: a piece of chicken, some potatoes and fennel, some bread with aioli on top and then add some sauce.
    
    After lunch instruction: as with each time you eat aioli, don't plan for kisses unless he/she ate the same. Garlic is very perseverant in smell.

Easy/lazy trick: for some people, making aioli can be done by adding all the ingredients (garlic cloves, egg yolks, salt, drop of mustard) in a bowl and use a plunging mixer until it's read. But then, it won't be traditional.

LeeAnne67

August 24, 20210 found this helpful

That looks delicious! But you're right...that's a LOT of work! Hope you made more than a leg and a wing!