Chicken Bouillabase

Ina Garten, some days, you're my hero and today is one of those days!  I made her chicken bouillabasse and it was a great rainy day dinner!  I've included the recipe here but I'll note my modifications.  Of particular note, if you look at this recipe on Food Network you will find that it is accompanied by a rouille recipe.  DO NOT MAKE IT! It changes the flavor of the dish in a very unpleasant way, but without it, this meal is delicious!  As you can see that I have strong opinions about the rouille, therefore, I've omitted it from this post!!

Ingredients

1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
Good olive oil
1 large head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 (15 ounce) can tomato puree (If you can't easily find tomato puree in your grocery store, just throw a can of any cooked tomato into a food processor with a couple tablespoons of tomato paste)
1 1/2 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons Pernod (I only use 1 tablespoon because I like a less pronounced anise flavor)
1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved
Rouille, for serving, recipe follows (NO! NO! NO!)
Crusty French bread, for serving

Directions

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it generously with salt, pepper, and the rosemary. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces in batches until nicely browned all over, about 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned chicken pieces to a plate and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, saffron, fennel seeds, tomato puree, chicken stock, white wine, Pernod, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper to the pot. Stir and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the garlic is very tender, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (As you can see the recipe calls for 300 degrees F, for my oven, 325 gives better results).

Carefully pour the sauce into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the Dutch oven and add the sliced potatoes and browned chicken pieces with their juices. Stir carefully.

Cover the pot and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is done. Check the seasonings and serve hot in shallow bowls with big dollops of Rouille and slices of crusty bread.