A traditional Basque dish, this chicken is cooked with a variety of vegetables and served with a rich sauce.
Chicken Basque-Style
This recipe hails from the Basque region, known for its unique and flavorful cuisine. The chicken is cooked with a variety of vegetables and served with a rich sauce. It’s perfect with white rice or boiled potatoes sprinkled with parsley.
Ingredients
- 1 3-to 3¹½-pound chicken, cut into pieces
- Coarse salt
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium onion, cut into strips
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
- 2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
- Salt
- 1¹½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup dry white wine
- juice of ¹½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt. Keep the chicken in the refrigerator or another cool place while you cook the vegetables.
- In a skillet, heat 6 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns golden brown. Add the onion, and sauté it for about 10 minutes, until it is softened. Add the red peppers and tomatoes, mix well, and season with salt and sugar. Cook, stirring, for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes release their liquid.
- In a deep skillet or stockpot, heat the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the chicken, and cook it for 10 to 15 minutes, turning it, until it is lightly browned on all sides. Add the pepper-tomato mixture and the wine, and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pot, and cook for about 40 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through.
- Gently stir in the lemon juice, and cook 5 minutes more. Serve the chicken and sauce garnished with parsley.
- To reduce the cooking time, substitute four boned and skinned chicken breasts for the whole chicken, and cut the cooking time to approximately 30 minutes.