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Brown-Butter Chicken with Farro and Fennel

A crisp skillet-roasted thigh, sweet fennel, and nutty grain meet in a lemon-bright brown-butter sauce that stays silky with a gentle finish.

Crisp chicken thighs rest over farro and golden fennel beneath a glossy lemon brown-butter sauce.

This dinner builds its flavor in one skillet: chicken browns first, fennel softens in the savory drippings, and the same fond anchors a nutty butter sauce. A saucepan keeps the grain moving alongside the chicken so the meal lands close to an hour.

Let the grain cook alongside

Farro simmers in its own saucepan while the chicken sears and roasts, which keeps the skillet free for the fennel and pan sauce. If pearled barley is the available choice, start it first and let it cook until tender; use that grain in place of the farro when plating.

Build a crisp, savory base

Dry skin and an undisturbed sear create the crisp surface that defines the chicken. Roasting finishes the thighs evenly, while the browned bits left in the skillet become the savory base for the sauce.

Sliced fennel softens in a skillet with browned chicken fond ready to become pan sauce. — Fennel softens in the skillet after the chicken roasts, with browned fond ready for the sauce.

Stop the butter at nutty brown

The butter is ready when its milk solids turn hazelnut brown and smell toasted, before they reach a dark or acrid stage. Stock loosens the fond, and lemon cuts through the richness; take the skillet off heat before whisking in the creamy finish.

Finish without losing silkiness

Crème fraîche brings a spoonable tang, and it belongs in the sauce after the pan leaves the heat so the mixture stays smooth. If substituting, whisk sour cream with a little heavy cream until loose, then stir it in gently; spoon the sauce over the grain, fennel, and chicken at the table.

Bronzed chicken skin, tender fennel, and distinct farro grains are coated with silky lemon sauce. — A silky lemon brown-butter sauce clings to crisp chicken, tender fennel, and farro.

Brown-Butter Chicken with Farro and Fennel

4 servings

60 minutes total

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 small)
•
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
•
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Simmer the grain
In a medium saucepan, bring the water and 1 tsp salt to a boil. Stir in farro and simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes until tender; if using pearled barley instead, start it first and simmer in the same water 35–40 minutes. Drain if needed.
Look for: The grains are tender at the center but still hold their shape.
Season the chicken
Heat the oven to 400 F. Pat the chicken thighs very dry, especially the skin side, and season all over with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper; let stand while the oven and skillet heat.
Look for: The chicken skin feels dry and the seasoning is evenly distributed.
Sear the thighs
Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high. Arrange the thighs skin-side down and sear 8–10 minutes without moving, until the skin is deeply golden; turn and cook 1 minute.
Look for: The skin releases from the skillet and has a deep golden, crisp surface.
Roast and rest
Transfer the skillet to the 400 F oven and roast 14–18 minutes, until the thickest thigh reaches 175 F. Move the chicken to a plate to rest while making the fennel and sauce; pour off excess fat, leaving browned fond in the skillet.
Look for: An instant-read thermometer registers 175 F in the thickest thigh.
Cook the fennel
Set the skillet over medium heat with a thin sheen of the remaining chicken fat. Add fennel, season with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly golden; stir in shallot for the final minute. Transfer to a bowl.
Look for: The fennel is soft and sweet-smelling with pale golden edges, not browned hard.
Brown the butter
Lower the skillet heat to medium-low. Add butter and swirl 3–4 minutes until the foaming subsides and the milk solids turn hazelnut brown with a nutty aroma; stir in thyme. If the solids darken rapidly, take the pan off heat.
Look for: Tiny butter solids are golden brown and smell toasted and nutty, never acrid.
Build the silky sauce
Pour stock into the skillet carefully, scrape up the fond, and simmer 3–4 minutes until lightly reduced. Stir in lemon zest and juice, then remove from heat and whisk in crème fraîche; keep the sauce below a boil. For the substitute, whisk 2 tbsp sour cream with 1 tbsp heavy cream until loose, then whisk it in.
Look for: The sauce lightly coats a spoon and stays smooth when the creamy finish is stirred in off heat.
Plate and serve
Drain and fluff the farro; if barley was used, fluff that instead. Divide the grain among warm plates, top with fennel and chicken, spoon sauce over each portion, and finish with parsley.
Look for: Each plate has a glossy spoonful of sauce, tender fennel, and a crisp-skinned thigh.