Poulet Basquaise Recipe by Anthony Bourdain

Poulet Basquaise

3.7

(3)

3 Reviews

To make his exceptional braised chicken from the Basque region of France, Anthony Bourdain relies on piment d'Espelètte, white wine, and plenty of onions and peppers.

Anthony Bourdain

Updated on November 9, 2023

Poulet Basquaise — Photo:
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne

Active Time:

45 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 10 mins

Servings:

This chicken dish is a favorite in the Basque region of France, where it originated.

Frequently asked questions

What is piment d'Espelètte?

Piment d'Espelètte is a dried ground chile that comes from the village of Espelètte in the Basque region of France. It's fruity with just a hint of heat and smoke. If you don't have any available, you can swap in paprika or cayenne depending on your preferred heat level, but try to source it, as it is essential to the flavor of Basque cooking, and even has a protected designation by the European Union. Piment d'Espelètte is used to season the region's famous Bayonne ham as it ages.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

We rarely call for using bouillon cubes instead of stock or broth, but Bourdain noted that this recipe can be the exception to that rule. Use either, depending on what you have available and prefer.

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Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into 8 pieces
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper or piment d’Espelètte
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
16 ounces canned Italian plum tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
1/2 cube chicken bouillon or 1/2 cup light chicken stock or broth (See Note)
3 sprigs of flat parsley, finely chopped
Rice pilaf for serving

Directions

Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper, and piment d'Espelètte. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. When the oil is hot, add the butter. When the butter has melted and the foam has subsided, add the chicken, skin side down, and brown on that side only, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside on the plate. Add the peppers and onion to the pot and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the wine, scraping, scraping — as always — to get the good stuff up. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, then add the water and the bouillon cube or broth. Return the chicken to the pot, making sure to add all the juices on the plate. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a platter. Crank up the heat to high and boil the sauce until it has thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the parsley. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with rice pilaf.

Originally appeared: December 2012