Basque chicken with peppers (Pollo a la Vasca)

I always love a recipe where I can set the whole dish on fire! I do favour Basque cuisine, primarily because of the amazing combination of flavours. This recipe is no exception. This dish is very traditional in el Pais Vasco, one of the autonomous communities in the Northern Basque region bordering France.

This dish is prepared in several stages that help the flavours come together. The first stage involves roasting the chicken with sweet paprika. The next piece is to make the sauce with the influence if serrano ham or pancetta, I used the later, and peppers to a wonderful sauce. The final stage is to cook the roasted chicken with the absolutely delicious sauce and bring the flavors together. The chicken is super moist and falls off the bone tender. The sweet paprika combines with the robust pepper sauce and absorbs the flavours. I served this with a golden cracked wheat bread, and it was the perfect tool to sop up the juices. Sometimes I look at a recipe and imagine what the dish will taste like. This recipe completely blew my mind and was far superior to what I imagined. This one is a keeper for sure.

The New Spanish Table is one of my favourite cookbooks for tapas and other Spanish foods. I have cooked several recipes from this very hefty cookbook, and all of them, like this one, are superb. The recipes are authentic to their core, full of flavour, and delicious. As I absolutely love Spanish cuisine, particularly Catalan, I often turn to this cookbook. I highly recommend it for those who want excellent Spanish cuisine on their tables.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

4 chicken drumsticks

4 chicken thighs

Salt, to taste

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Olive oil

2 tablespoons oil

1 large onion, finely chipped

3 oz. serrano ham or prosciutto, finely diced

2 red bell peppers, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tomatoes, finely diced

2-3 tablespoons dry white wine

1/4 cup chicken broth or water

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup brandy

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Rub the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika, and brush it lightly with olive oil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in an oiled Pyrex dish and bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and tender. Make sure the tops of the chicken do not char too much.

While the chicken is cooking, heat the oil in a deep dish on medium-low heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are a light golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the ham and cook till the ham has rendered its fat and is browned.

Add the red and green peppers and cook until they are cooked through and soft, about 10 more minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, and stock or water, and bring to a simmer with the lid on. Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are broken down and you have a wonderful sauce, 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then taste. Adjust seasonings. You want a sauce with the consistency of thin cream; if it is too thick, adjust it with water or stock as needed.

When the chicken is cooked, please remove it from the oven. Pour the brandy over the chicken and carefully ignite the dish with a match. Stand back and be very careful, the alcohol will burst into flame. The dish will burn till the alcohol is consumed by the fire, and the flames will completely subside.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake again for 15-20 minutes till the chicken is bubbling in the sauce. Cook till the sauce is thickened. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to cool and absorb the flavours for 5 minutes.

Serve in the same dish or on a platter with some sourdough bread or other bread to sop up the sauce.