Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
Serves 6
- 6 pieces chicken (legs, thighs…)
- 1-2 onions, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 4-5 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, green), cut into thin strips
- 400 g (14 oz) crushed tomatoes (fresh or canned)
- 1 tsp Espelette pepper (or sweet paprika)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme
- A few sprigs parsley
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 Tbsp) dry white wine
- Salt, pepper
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Set them aside on a plate. Pour off the excess fat the chicken has released (keep a little). Add the onions and let them soften gently for 8 minutes without browning. Add the bell peppers and cook for another 10 minutes over medium heat, until they are soft.
Season with salt and pepper, add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme and a few sprigs of parsley. Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate, then add the tomatoes, the chicken and a glass of water. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the peppers and chicken are fully cooked.
Serve with white rice, bulgur or potatoes, and garnish with chopped parsley.
Basque chicken variations
- Some people leave out the tomatoes, and it’s good that way too!
- For a richer, Mediterranean-style sauce, add some diced eggplant.
- Basque chicken keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator and freezes very well.
- For a chicken-free version, pair the sauce with eggs poached or cracked straight into it, Basque shakshuka-style, or with a grilled or poached fish fillet.