Caramelized Fennel & Chicken Pasta
caramelized fennel is genuinely one of the most underrated things you can do in a kitchen🧅🍝 low and slow until it's sweet and jammy, tossed with ground chicken, sake, parmesan, and farfalle — then topped with a toasted panko crumb that adds the most satisfying crunch. this one takes patience but every minute of it is worth it. 🫶
adapted from @zenaskitchen's Caramelised Fennel and Sausage Pasta — swapped sausage for ground chicken, sake for white wine, panko for day-old bread, and skipped the crème fraîche and fennel seeds (didn’t have it!). you can find the original recipe here - its a must try if you have all the ingredients, its delicious!
Ingredients
Panko crumb topping
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
Fennel fronds, roughly chopped (reserved from the bulb)
Pinch of salt
Pasta
1 lb ground chicken
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced (save the fronds for the crumb)
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp chili flakes
ÂĽ cup sake (or white wine)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup parmesan, grated (plus more to serve)
1 lb farfalle pasta (or any pasta)
2 tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, to garnish
Serves 3-4
Prep time ~15mins
Cook time ~45mins
Cooking Instructions
Make the panko crumb
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add panko and cook, stirring frequently, for 4–5 min until golden and toasted.
Add chopped fennel fronds and cook 1 more min. Season with salt and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
Cook the ground chicken
In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat avocado oil over medium heat. Add ground chicken and break it up with a spoon.
Cook 7–10 min until browned and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside.
Caramelize the fennel & onion
Add sliced fennel and onion to the same pot. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally, for ~30mins until deeply golden and caramelized. Don't rush this step — the sweetness is what makes the dish.
Add garlic and chili flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 min until fragrant.
Build the sauce
Pour in the sake and cook 2–3 min, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add chicken stock and return the ground chicken to the pot. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 min.
Remove from heat and stir in parmesan until melted and incorporated.
Cook pasta & bring it together
Cook farfalle in generously salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
Return the sauce to medium heat. Add pasta and toss to coat, adding pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce is silky and clings to every piece.
Divide into bowls, top with the toasted panko crumb, extra parmesan, and fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
The caramelization is everything — don't turn up the heat to rush it. Low and slow is what makes the fennel sweet and jammy.
Sake adds a subtle sweetness and depth similar to white wine — use whatever dry white wine you have.
The panko crumb is non-negotiable — it adds the texture contrast that makes this dish feel complete. Make extra and keep it in a jar.
Save your pasta water — it's what brings the sauce together and keeps it silky as it sits.
Farfalle holds up great in this dish, but any short pasta works — rigatoni or penne would be great too!
Original recipe can be found here. I’ve made it exactly to Zena’s recipe and its even better than this substitute, but when you have extra fennel…ya gotta do whatcha gotta do. still delishious!