Poulet Basquaise

Method

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1. Salt the chicken and brown it skin-side down in the oil, 8 minutes, until the skin is deep gold. Turn, give it 3 minutes, and lift out.

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2. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and cook over medium heat for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have collapsed and darkened. This is the sauce.

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3. Add the garlic and ham and cook 3 minutes.

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4. Stir in the tomato purée and cook 2 minutes, then the wine, and boil 2 minutes.

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5. Add the tomatoes, Espelette, thyme and bay.

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6. Return the chicken skin-side up, so the skin stays above the sauce, and simmer uncovered 35 minutes.

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7. Rest 10 minutes, scatter with parsley, and serve with rice or bread.

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Chef’s Tips

• Forty minutes on the peppers before anything else. They are the sauce.
• Skin above the sauce so it stays crisp.
• Real Espelette. Paprika and cayenne are not the same thing.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.

Pairing Suggestions

• Rice
• Country bread
• A glass of Irouléguy

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 3 days and better on day two. It freezes for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.