Basque chicken is, alongside marmitako and piperade, one of the pillars of traditional Basque cooking. Its principle is simple: chicken, peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and a little time.
The base recipe
Brown the chicken pieces in olive oil. Set aside. In the same pan, soften the finely chopped onion, add the red and green peppers in strips, the peeled tomatoes and the spices (mild Espelette pepper, thyme, bay leaf). Return the chicken. Simmer for 45 minutes.
Variations
Some recipes add white wine during cooking. Others incorporate Bayonne ham into the initial onion base. The “à l’Espelette” version increases the amount of Espelette pepper for a spicier dish.
The secret
Espelette pepper. Without it, it’s a chicken stew. With it, it’s Basque cooking. It can be used as a powder, paste or fresh depending on the season.