Just finished the last bowl of left overs! Be creative and substitute anything you wish. My wife does not like fennel, so I used Thai basil which has a similar quality, but milder. Anise seed would work well also. In my first bowl of leftovers for dinner last night, I added a couple of large spoonfuls of chopped pineapple from a can, and that gave it a wonderful fruity taste. I have always liked vinegar in beans and in chile, so the last bowl I added some cherry vinegar (basalmic or plain would work too) that we picked up last summer on vacation in cherryville (Traverse City). Chicken breasts should work well. I'm gonna dig out a favorite and post it here, Chicken Ruby. It is done in a similar manner, in that every thing ends up in the pot together, so the chicken absorbs the flavor of every thing else, and vice-versa. It is fried chicken, added to a pot of orange juice, fresh cranberries, some sugar and a few other things. We do it with bone in, skin on usually, but I have made it boneless, skinless and without flouring and frying chiken first. The sauce is served over wide noodles. and the cranberries are the "rubies". Really sweet & sour and absolutely to die for. You can adjust for less sugar if you think it to sweet, or start with half and ad more at the table to suit individual tastes. I do love fiddling with flavors like this!!
kj
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