Basque chicken
Poulet basquaise comes from the French Basque Country and is built around piperade — peppers stewed with onion, tomato and garlic. The chicken is browned skin down first, then braised in that sauce until the meat comes away from the bone. Its character comes from piment d'Espelette, the mild, fruity Basque pepper; elsewhere a mix of sweet and smoked paprika with a pinch of chilli stands in. This is an August and September dish, when peppers and tomatoes are cheapest and best.
Your own work in that: 5 min.
- Preparation 15 min
- Browning 30 min
- Braising 45 min
- Serving 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 donePrepare the vegetables
Cut the peppers into 1 cm strips, slice the onions, slice the garlic, scald and peel the tomatoes and dice them. Cut the ham into strips.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red and green peppers · 2 pcs onions · 4 cloves garlic · 500 g ripe tomatoes · 80 g dry-cured ham (Bayonne or similar) · 150 ml dry white wine · 2 tsp sweet paprika (instead of piment d'Espelette) · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ¼ tsp chilli flakes · 2 pcs thyme sprigs · ½ bunch parsley
Brown the chicken
Rub the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan with a lid (about 30 cm) and cook the pieces skin down for 8 minutes until the skin is golden, then 3 minutes on the other side. Move to a plate — the skin will have rendered plenty of fat to fry the vegetables in.
Ingredients: 4 pcs chicken leg quarters (about 250 g each) · 2 tbsp olive oil · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Skin first, over moderate heat.Fry the ham
In the same fat fry the ham for 2 minutes until it starts to colour.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red and green peppers · 2 pcs onions · 4 cloves garlic · 500 g ripe tomatoes · 80 g dry-cured ham (Bayonne or similar) · 150 ml dry white wine · 2 tsp sweet paprika (instead of piment d'Espelette) · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ¼ tsp chilli flakes · 2 pcs thyme sprigs · ½ bunch parsley
Stew the peppers
Add the onion and peppers and fry over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring, until soft.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red and green peppers · 2 pcs onions · 4 cloves garlic · 500 g ripe tomatoes · 80 g dry-cured ham (Bayonne or similar) · 150 ml dry white wine · 2 tsp sweet paprika (instead of piment d'Espelette) · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ¼ tsp chilli flakes · 2 pcs thyme sprigs · ½ bunch parsley
Pepper strips — the base of piperade.Add garlic and spices
Add the garlic, sweet and smoked paprika and chilli and fry for half a minute until fragrant.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red and green peppers · 2 pcs onions · 4 cloves garlic · 500 g ripe tomatoes · 80 g dry-cured ham (Bayonne or similar) · 150 ml dry white wine · 2 tsp sweet paprika (instead of piment d'Espelette) · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ¼ tsp chilli flakes · 2 pcs thyme sprigs · ½ bunch parsley
Add the wine
Pour in the wine and cook 3 minutes until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and thyme and cook 5 minutes more.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red and green peppers · 2 pcs onions · 4 cloves garlic · 500 g ripe tomatoes · 80 g dry-cured ham (Bayonne or similar) · 150 ml dry white wine · 2 tsp sweet paprika (instead of piment d'Espelette) · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ¼ tsp chilli flakes · 2 pcs thyme sprigs · ½ bunch parsley
Braise the chicken
Nestle the chicken into the sauce skin side up, with any juices from the plate. Braise with the lid ajar over low heat for 40–45 minutes, until the meat comes off the bone (75°C at the bone).
Ingredients: 4 pcs chicken leg quarters (about 250 g each) · 2 tbsp olive oil · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Skin above the sauce — it stays firmer.Season and serve
Remove the thyme, season with salt and pepper and scatter with parsley. Serve with rice, potatoes or bread for the sauce.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red and green peppers · 2 pcs onions · 4 cloves garlic · 500 g ripe tomatoes · 80 g dry-cured ham (Bayonne or similar) · 150 ml dry white wine · 2 tsp sweet paprika (instead of piment d'Espelette) · ½ tsp smoked paprika · ¼ tsp chilli flakes · 2 pcs thyme sprigs · ½ bunch parsley
Before you start
Piment d'Espelette
This is the pepper from the Basque village of Espelette, with a protected designation of origin: mild and fruity, about as hot as sweet paprika with a peppery finish. French delicatessens sell it; sweet and smoked paprika with a little chilli is a sensible substitute.
The sauce alone
Piperade on its own, without chicken, is served in the Basque Country with fried or scrambled eggs — a popular breakfast and light supper.
Storage
It keeps 3 days in the fridge. It freezes for 3 months, though the peppers soften. Reheat covered over low heat.
