Basque Chicken Stew

This is the Spanish (Basque) one-pot-meal equivalent to Hunter's Chicken Stew (Pollo Cattictore or Coq au vin).

Yield:
Serves 6
Category:
Chicken & Other Birds
Cuisine:
Spanish

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 boneless chicken thighs or equivalent breast pieces
  • 1 red and 1 yellow bell peppers cut into 1/4 inch strips
  • 2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 14 oz. can of peeled whole tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 oz (150 g) dry chorizo sausage, cut into 1/4 inch (.5 cm) slices
  • 2 oz (60 g) sun-dried tomatoes in oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Espelette pepper or sweet paprika
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup white wine or 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 1 peeled orange, cut into quartered slices
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 oz (50 g) pitted black olives
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Start by seasoning the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper. Next, slice the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds and pith, then slice each half into 1/4 inch strips. Likewise, peel the onion and slice thinly. The sun-dried tomatoes should be drained, and then cut into ½ inch (1 cm) pieces.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the casserole and, when it is fairly hot, add the chicken pieces – three at a time – and brown them on both sides. As they brown remove them to a plate, using a draining spoon. Next add a little more oil to the casserole, and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion. tomatoes and peppers and allow them to brown a little at the edges, moving them around from time to time, for about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the chorizo, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and toss these around for a minute or two until the garlic is pale golden and the chorizo has taken on some colour.
  4. Return the chicken to the casserole. Warm the chicken and thicken the sauce for about 3 minutes. Serve with crusty bread, rice or roasted potatoes.

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