Poulet Basquaise
This is one of my favorite recipes, and it’s easy. Every ingredient is freely available in even the smallest bodega, and it results in a foolproof show-stopper for a dinner party, or just having a few friends over. It’s also an exercise in improvisation; within every recipe, there’s a wide latitude for changing certain elements (e.g., orange zest instead of lemon zest). At the same time, there are certain elements that make a recipe what it is, and you can’t deviate from them.
Traditionally, this recipe is made with red and green bell peppers, but I don’t particularly like the grassy flavor of green bell peppers - so I substitute yellow peppers which give a hint of bright, citrusy flavor. I also use smoked paprika, because it adds a rustic element to the dish - like it’s been simmering in a farmhouse hearth in Basque on a Sunday afternoon. I also use chicken breasts in the dish, in lieu of an entire chicken.
Certain elements of this dish can’t be changed, however. You must use bone-in skin on chicken breasts (even if you don’t plan on eating the skin). The fat in the skin renders when you’re browning it, adding flavor to the dish. The skin also protects the delicate meat of the breast. Keeping the bone in allows the chicken to hold its shape during cooking, and the bone adds additional flavor to the sauce.
Serve this over rice pilaf (traditionally) or noodles (tagliatelli is my choice).
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
Smoked paprika
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/4” julienne
2 yellow bell peppers; cut into 1/4” julienne
1 onion, sliced into 1/4” slices
16 oz San Marzano plum tomatoes (La Bella San Marzano)
1 T tomato paste (Amore)
1/2 c white wine (drink the rest of the bottle while you’re cooking!)
1/2 c robust chicken stock (I make Thomas Keller’s chicken stock, which is pretty light. I reduce 1 c of stock to 1/2 c for this recipe)
Italian Parsley
About a half-hour before cooking, season the breast all over with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the butter. When the butter has finished foaming, add the chicken breast skin side down. Sear the breast until well browned, skin side only - you may need to do this in two batches depending on how big your pot is. Once browned, remove breasts to a plate, and add peppers and onion. Reduce heat to medium-low, cook for 10 minutes, until onions are well softened.
Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, and cook until the liquid from the tomatoes has reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes. Then add the white wine and reduce again; it’s important to reduce the liquid because it concentrates the flavors. Doing it in stages ensures all of the ingredients are properly cooked and don’t fall apart.
Once the wine has reduced, add the chicken broth, followed by the chicken and any juices that have collected on the plate. Cover and simmer 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and place on a platter to rest. Crank the heat up to high and reduce the sauce for 5-6 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. It’s important to stir constantly when reducing, because your aim is to get rid of as much water as possible; otherwise the peppers will over-cook and fall apart before the sauce is thick enough.
Remove the sauce from heat and continue to stir until it reaches serving temperature. Re-season with salt, pepper and paprika. Don’t overdo it with the paprika, you don’t want to be eating a campfire; the sauce should just have a faint hint of smoke to it.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with Italian parsley.
