Poulet basquaise

Poulet basquaise is the pride of the Basque Country — that green, food-obsessed corner where France meets Spain: chicken browned until golden, then simmered in piperade, the region’s silky stew of tomatoes, bell peppers and onions, with white wine and a bouquet garni.

It is rustic cooking at its most generous. The sauce does everything: keeps the chicken juicy, perfumes the kitchen, and begs to be spooned over rice or mopped up with crusty bread.

It is also blessedly simple — one casserole, one frying pan, mostly unattended simmering — and the leftovers are famously even better the next day. Here is my tried-and-true version.

Poulet Basquaise Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 1 hour · Total: 1 hour 20 minutes · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~354 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, cut into 6 pieces
• 2 pounds ripe, juicy tomatoes, cut into pieces
• 1½ pounds bell peppers (green and red), sliced into strips
• 3 onions, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ¾ cup white wine
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley tied together)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Chop the onion and garlic, cut the tomatoes into pieces and slice the peppers into strips.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a casserole and cook the onions, garlic and peppers for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften and color.
3. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, brown the seasoned chicken pieces in the remaining olive oil in a frying pan.
5. When golden, add the chicken to the vegetables along with the bouquet garni and white wine. Cover and cook for about 35 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the sauce has come together.

Recipe Notes

• Diced ham (Bayonne ham, ideally) or bacon deepen the sauce; mushrooms or zucchini stretch it.
• A pinch of piment d’Espelette — the Basque chili — is the truly authentic touch; paprika is a fine stand-in.
• Serve with rice, crusty bread or potatoes to make the most of the sauce.
• Like most simmered dishes, it is even better reheated the next day.