Basque chicken

This chicken stew is bright with peppers and tomatoes and is easy to make. Comforting without being heavy, it's delicious any itme.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French, Spanish

Servings: fairly generous, or possibly more

Calories: 921kcal

Author: Caroline

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Ingredients

½ large onion
1 red pepper
½ green pepper
2 cloves garlic or less if large
1 oz Bayonne ham or prosciutto/serrano ham
1 ½ lb bone in chicken thighs or part thighs, part drumsticks
¼ teaspoon salt or more/less as needed
¼ teaspoon pepper or more/less as needed
2 tablespoon olive oil (may not need all)
¼ cup white wine
14 oz crushed tomatoes
1 sprig fresh thyme or use around ½tsp (2.5ml) dried in place of a sprig
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon espelette pepper or more to taste, see notes on substitute

Instructions

Peel the onion and cut into relatively thin strips (lengthwise or rings, as you prefer). Remove core from the peppers and cut into strips. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Roughly tear or chop the ham into small pieces. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper.
Warm around half of oil in a medium pot/pan over a medium-high heat , swirl to form a thin layer, then and add the chicken pieces, skin side down, in a single layer. Cook for around 5 minutes until the skin has a good sear and medium browning on it. Turn and cook a couple more minutes on the other side so lightly browned then remove the chicken from the pan.
Add the ham to the pot and cook for a minute or two to gently cook and crisp very slightly, then remove it as well.
Add the additional oil, as needed, then add the onions and peppers to the pot, cook for a few minutes until they are softening and the onions are becoming translucent. Stir regularly so they cook evenly and reduce the heat if needed to avoid them burning. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute more.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the white wine. Stir to deglaze - scrape any browning from the bottom and sides of the pot to mix in as it all adds flavor.
Add the chopped tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf and espelette pepper and stir to mix. Bring the mixture to a simmer then add back the chicken and ham. Press the chicken into the sauce so it is largely covered then continue to simmer, uncovered, for around 45 minutes. By then, the chicken should be cooked and tender enough to come away from the bone easily, and the sauce should have thickened up a little. Reduce the heat as it is cooking, if needed, to save it boiling too strongly. If it seems to be reducing too quickly, you can part cover for some of the cooking time.
Adjust the seasoning a little as needed to your taste before serving (salt, pepper and espelette pepper), and serve warm for example with rice or mashed potatoes.

Video

Notes

If you can't find espelette pepper then I'd suggest you replace mainly with Spanish paprika with a touch of cayenne pepper.

Nutrition

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