Meals · Skillet & sheet-pan mains
Poulet basquaise (Basque chicken with peppers and tomatoes)
Chicken braised with red and green peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes, white wine and a touch of piment d'Espelette (or paprika and a pinch of chili). Sweet, gently warm and full of peppers, and even better made a day ahead. Serve it with rice or steamed potatoes.
- Time
- 90 min (20 prep + 70 cook)
- Servings
- 4
- Per serving
- 452 kcal
- Protein
- 41 g
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 lb chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, each cut in half
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 2 large red bell peppers, in strips
- 2 large bell peppers, green, in strips
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp paprika, or 1 tsp piment d'Espelette if you have it, which is the true Basque choice
- a pinch red pepper flakes, leave out for children
- 2 cans (14 oz each) diced tomatoes, or 1 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp white wine, dry
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or casserole over medium-high heat and brown the chicken for 3–4 minutes a side, in two batches. Lift onto a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and peppers to the same pan and cook for 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and just starting to colour.
- Stir in the garlic, paprika and pepper flakes for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, wine, bay and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until starting to thicken.
- Tuck the chicken and its juices into the sauce, cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes, until tender and 165°F inside.
- Lift out the bay and thyme stems. If the sauce is thin, take the chicken out and boil it for a few minutes until it coats a spoon. Scatter with the parsley and serve with rice or steamed potatoes. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months.
Good to know
What is piment d'Espelette?
A mild, fruity red chili from the Basque Country, sold ground. A teaspoon gives warmth rather than heat. Smoked or sweet paprika with a pinch of chili flakes is a fair stand-in.
Can I use chicken with skin and bones?
Yes, 1.2 kg of bone-in pieces works and needs 35 minutes in the sauce. With skin on it comes to about 56 instead of 66.
Per
- Calories
- 91
- Protein
- (38%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (44%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (19%)
- 5 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 219 mg
About 30% of the alcohol remains after cooking; the label counts only that.
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1809 kcal goes into the pot and 2565 g of ingredients comes out as about 1992 g of food: 91 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.