Crispy Chicken Thighs with fennel & a Belgian Witbier cream sauce
An elegant midweek dinner with citrus and coriander threaded through it: golden-skinned chicken, soft caramelised fennel, buttery new potatoes and a Witbier cream sauce lifted by orange zest, honey and Dijon.
Ingredients in two components
Component One
Chicken & Witbier Cream Sauce
- 4chicken thighs, boneless & skin-on
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1 tsporange zest
- 150 mlBelgian Witbier
- 100 mlcream
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 1 tsphoney
- —fresh parsley or tarragon, to finish
- —salt & pepper, to taste
Component Two
New Potatoes & Fennel
- 500 gnew potatoes
- 1fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 2garlic cloves
- 40 gbutter (for potatoes & fennel)
- —fresh parsley, chopped
- —salt & pepper, to taste
Directions step by step
Boil the new potatoes
Wash the new potatoes well and boil them whole in salted water for 15–20 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance. Drain and, while still warm, toss with a knob of butter, salt, pepper and freshly chopped parsley. Cover and keep warm.
Prepare the chicken
Pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry — dry skin is the only path to crisp skin. Season generously with salt, pepper and the orange zest, then rub with a little olive oil.
Crisp the skin
Heat a heavy pan over medium heat and lay the chicken skin-side down. Cook for 6–8 minutes without disturbing it, until the skin is deep golden and crisp. Flip and cook for another 5–6 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a warm plate to rest.
Caramelise the fennel
Pour off most of the chicken fat, leaving a slick for flavour. Add a little butter to the same pan and sauté the thinly sliced fennel with the garlic for 5–7 minutes, until soft, fragrant and just turning golden at the edges.
Build the Witbier sauce
Pour the Belgian Witbier into the pan and scrape up every caramelised bit from the bottom — that’s where the flavour lives. Stir in the Dijon mustard, honey and cream, then simmer for 3–4 minutes until the sauce is smooth, glossy and lightly thickened. Taste and adjust the salt.
Plate & finish
Spoon the buttery potatoes onto warm plates. Add a tangle of soft fennel, then rest a crispy chicken thigh on top. Drizzle the Witbier cream sauce generously over the chicken and scatter fresh parsley or tarragon across the plate.
Pour & enjoy
Pour a chilled Witbier into a tall glass and bring it to the table. Aromatic, citrusy, just elegant enough for a special occasion — the kind of dinner that turns a Wednesday into something.
The citrus & coriander of a Belgian Witbier
Belgian Witbier is famously brewed with orange peel and coriander, and it brings exactly those notes back to the plate. The hazy, lightly spiced beer mirrors the orange zest in the chicken, sharpens the fennel’s anise edge and keeps the cream sauce feeling fresh rather than heavy.
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