Like many moms, I have a small obsession with getting healthy food into the belly’s of my family. Not only healthy food, but food that is local, organic and includes a variety of flavors.  To do this I either go to the farmers market or get a CSA box week, from Chow Locally here in Phoenix. I love the Chow Locally box; since I can’t choose what I’m going to receive in it, it has really challenged me to experiment with some unfamiliar fruits and veggies.

This past week’s Chow Share included fennel. Look at that beast! It was over three feet long. The best part of fennel is that the entire thing is edible. The flavor is similar to anise or a very very mild licorice. It is almost sweet, and the aroma is light and reminds me of springtime.  The texture of the bulb and stalk is similar to celery, so it was a perfect choice to put in a chicken salad.

The trick to perfectly shredded chicken is using a stand mixer with the paddle attachement. Bake three or four chicken breasts at 350ºF until fully cooked, about 30-35 minutes. While still hot, cut the breasts into quarters and but into the mixer for a minute. And voila!

Put the chicken in the fridge to cool. While the chicken is cooling, start prepping the dressing.

There is a proper way to prep fennel (see here) of course I looked it up after already hacking into the poor vegetable. Anyhow, chop up the bulb and one of the stalks, reserving some of the leaves for a garnish. Add sour cream, white wine vinegar or lemon juice, half a clove of garlic, a little splash of sriracha sauce, salt and some pepper.

Put the dressing in the refrigerator and let the flavors marinate for a couple of hours. Then mix the shredded chicken and fennel dressing together and put it on a bed of lettuce. Top with some toasted almond slices and sprinkle with the fennel leaves.

Yield: 4

Chicken Fennel Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients

• 3-4 chicken breasts, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• a splash of white wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 fennel-bulb, stalk and leaves
• a dash of sriracha sauce
• 1/2 garlic clove, minced
• a dash of salt
• a smidge pepper
• 1/4 cup toasted almond slivers
• lettuce

Instructions

Bake the chicken breasts in the oven at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Shred the chicken while it's still hot and stick in the refrigerator.

Chop up fennel bulb into small pieces, as well as one of the fennel stalks. Reserve some of the fennel leaves for garnish.

Mix sour cream (or your could substitute mayo), fennel, white wine vinegar, sriracha, garlic, salt and pepper in a separate bowl. Put in the fridge for an hour to marinate.

Mix then dressing and chicken together. Place on a bed of lettuce.

Sprinkle with toasted almond slivers and fennel leaves.

Bon appétit!