Spicy Grilled Chicken with Crunchy Fennel Salad
Springtime is the time to be outdoors to relax and fire up the grill. Spicy Grilled Chicken with Crunchy Fennel Salad offers a balance of heat, flavor, and fresh ingredients that will make you feel as if you are basking in rays of sunshine. Featuring a flavor-packed, garlicky-spicy marinade, this chicken is tantalizing with every bite. Paired with a refreshing fennel salad that balances the spicy poultry, this meal is a culinary expression of love. And it tastes good too!
Begin by seasoning the chicken with salt and allowing it to rise to room temperature. The marinade is a paste, more like a rub, formed from garlic, anchovies, red chile, tomato paste, and salt. Coat the chicken with the paste and let it sit for an hour so that the salt and spice permeate and moisten the chicken. Grill the thighs over medium heat for about four minutes until dark and beautiful. Serve next to a pile of the fennel salad, and squeeze grilled lemons over the whole plate for a delightfully sizzling meal. Get the grill ready and plan on having plenty of refreshments on hand for the lip-smacking heat and addicting flavor.
Serves 4
Spicy Grilled Chicken with Crunchy Fennel Salad Ingredients
Chicken
- 1½ lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 oil-packed anchovy fillets (optional)
- 1 red chile (such as Fresno or Holland), seeds removed, coarsely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 tsp. finely chopped oregano
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
- 2 lemons, halved
Fennel Salad and Assembly
- 2 medium fennel bulbs, tough outer layers removed, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 small white onion, very thinly sliced into rounds
- 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (white, black, or both)
Spicy Grilled Chicken with Crunchy Fennel Salad Directions
Chicken
- Pat chicken dry and season with salt. Set aside on a plate.
- Smash garlic under the flat side of a chef's knife on your cutting board. Add anchovies, if using, chile, and a couple of pinches of salt, and continue smashing with the side of your knife until paste forms. (You can also do this with a mortar and pestle.) Transfer paste to a large bowl and stir in tomato paste, oregano, and three Tbsp. oil. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for one hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare a grill for medium heat. Clean and oil grate. Grill chicken, turning once, until lightly charred and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
- While the chicken is cooking, grill lemons for about 4 minutes, cut side down until lightly charred and starting to caramelize. Transfer to a platter.
- Transfer chicken to platter with lemons and let rest 5 minutes.
Fennel Salad and Assembly
- While the chicken is resting, toss fennel, onion, and vinegar in a medium bowl; drizzle with oil and season with a big pinch of salt. Toss once more.
- Mound fennel salad next to the chicken and sprinkle sesame seeds over both. Squeeze grilled lemons over chicken and fennel salad.
