Crispy Lemon-Fennel Chicken

A  perfectly grilled steak, tender melt-in-your-mouth pork, a freshly picked juicy piece of fruit. These are simple things which I really enjoy. Add crispy chicken skin to that list. You can have the best recipe and most amazingly flavored piece of chicken in the world but if you bite into a big piece of chewy, fatty skin it just won't matter. Food is all about flavor and texture, and that is what this dish is all about.

Crispy Lemon-Fennel Chicken

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

4 chicken legs

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

Salt and Pepper

Crush the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or put them in a plastic bag and smash them up with a rolling pin. They don't need to be a powder, just do it roughly. Mix all the ingredients in a big, resealable plastic bag and throw in the chicken. Massage the marinade into the chicken and then place in the refrigerator

for at least a half hour (a couple hours would be better) and turn occasionally.

Preheat your grill to high heat. Put the chicken on skin-side down and render the fat out of the skin until it is crisp (about 5 minutes). Flip the chicken and give the other side about 3-4 minutes, just for a sear. Then move the chicken to medium heat to finish cooking, about 10-12 more minutes.

This chicken went really well with a simple grilled asparagus. I tossed the asparagus in olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Put the asparagus on the grill about 5-7 minutes before the chicken is finished. They should still be a little crunchy, and the pepper flakes give it a nice bite.