Braised fennel is such an easy, delicious dish! It’s perfect on the side to chicken, fish, and seafood! One of my favorite fennel recipes!
Fennel is totally underrated, and I’m hoping some of our fennel recipes on Inspired Taste are helping to change that! Fennel is naturally sweet and has a mild licorice flavor. In this braised fennel recipe, we lean into the licorice flavor and add fresh orange. It’s so good!
I know some home cooks find fennel a bit intimidating, but I’m here to say that if you’ve never cooked with it before, it’s a delicious and super versatile vegetable! For more ways to use fennel, see our apple salad with fennel, shaved fennel salad, and this white wine seafood stew.
Key Ingredients
- Fennel: Look for mostly white bulbs with some pale green markings. Avoid bulbs that are yellowing or have brown spots. It should also be firm and feel heavy for its size. In this recipe, we will braise the fennel bulb (the bottom part). You do not need the stalks, although you can always save them for homemade stock another day!
- Orange: Fennel and orange are a classic combination, so we use the zest and juice of half an orange for this recipe. If you do not have fresh oranges, you can use orange juice.
- Stock: Braising means we will cook the fennel in liquid. Some of that liquid will be orange juice, and the rest is stock or broth. Chicken stock or veggie broth are both great.
How to Make Braised Fennel
Braising fennel is super simple. It becomes slightly sweet and very tender. Start by prepping the fennel bulbs.
After removing the stalks, cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise. Make two angled cuts in the center of the bulb to remove the core—even with braising, the core can be a bit tough. Finally, slice each half into wedges.
To braise the fennel, we brown it on both sides in a bit of olive oil. Then, we add the zest and juice of half an orange and stock. Cover the pot, and 8 minutes later, it is done.
Easy Braised Fennel
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Most often, you’ll find fennel with stalks and fronds in tact—the fronds are those wispy green things at the top. For this braised fennel recipe, we’re after the bulb, but make sure you keep the stalks and fronds for another day. Use the fronds as you would fresh herbs and the stalks can be kept in the freezer and added to a future homemade stock (see our chicken stock recipe).
You Will Need
2 medium fennel bulbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium orange
3/4 cup chicken stock, vegetable broth, or water
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1Cut off and discard stems/stalks from the fennel bulb, reserving some fronds (wispy green tips).
2Slice fennel in half lengthwise. Make two angled cuts to remove the tough core. Then, cut the halves into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
3Use a microplane zester to zest about half of the orange.
4Heat olive oil in a medium pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add fennel wedges and brown on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side.
5Reduce heat to low, add orange zest, the juice of half an orange, and stock, and cook, covered, until fennel is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with a few reserved fennel fronds sprinkled on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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We cooked this braised fennel and orange last night for our wintery dinner down here in Melbourne Australia and it was sensational along side or whole baked flathead. I have saved this recipe into my collection of favourites. Cheers, Garry
I made this last night to accompany some seared scallops. Nice and simple preparation, and very tasty. I’ll be making it again for sure.
I found the outer layer to be a little tough still. Next time I’d probably braise it an extra minute or two. Could have just been my fennel too, it was rather large.
Hi Adam and Joanne – that fennel looks delicious! I love the idea of braising it and serving it as a side dish.
Fennel is also great with a splash of Pernod. (The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for lobster pot pie with fennel and Pernod is to die for!)
BTW, KJ said they would be posting the Fish and Corn Pudding Recipe this week – can’t wait!
Cheers,
Kathy
Fennel with Pernod is pretty amazing, Kathy! Not to mention, fennel + lobster + Pernod — there is a reason we all love Ina!
-Joanne and Adam
I’m a big fennel fan…I generally eat it raw as a snack or in salad and I’m totally in agreement that fennel and orange go well together. I’ve recently started braising and adding it to various dishes, most recently with salmon and it was an interesting combination.
We don’t usually have fennel raw – we should try that more often!
Beautiful! I love cooking with fennel, but have never prepared it this way. Time to change that!