Chicken Thighs with Balsamic Sauteed Fennel and Oranges

This recipe for a delicious meal comes to us courtesy of the Crankin' Kitchen.  Which I guess was also adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Chicken Thighs with Balsamic Sauteed Fennel and Oranges

Ingredients

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (I used 6 boneless, skinless thighs because that's what I had)
sea salt and freshly groung pepper* (see notes below)
1 Tbs olive oil or other paleo fat
1 fennel bulb, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced thinly crosswise
1 orange, sliced into 8 wedges
2-3 Tbs balsamic vinegar

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.*

Heat the olive oil or fat in a cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.  Place the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin side down if they have skin, and cook for about 7 minutes.  Flip the chicken over and put in the oven to finish for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken thighs.

When the chicken is done cooking, remove the skillet from the oven, place the chicken thighs on a plate, and pour off all but about 2 Tbs of the fat left in the pan before returning the skillet to burner on medium heat.

Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the fennel just becomes soft and the balsamic has thickened and coated everything.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Serve the chicken on top of a bed of fennel and extract some of the remaining juice in the orange wedges by squeezing them out over the chicken.

Notes and Details

*The original recipe says to "coat" the raw chicken thighs with salt & pepper; however, in my unexperienced hands, this led to inedible, salty chicken.  To season the chicken prior to cooking them, just a light sprinkling will do.  Chicken thighs are full of flavor naturally so not much seasoning is needed here.

Hope you and your loved ones enjoy!

Thanks!