Basque-Style Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Paprika (Daniel Boulud)

Chicken browned in rendered chorizo fat and braised with red peppers, red onion, garlic, sherry, cherry tomatoes and paprika. A chef’s version of the Basque country’s chicken with peppers.

Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is part of the collection’s French batch and is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

4 ounces Spanish chorizo, sliced ¼ inch thick
3 pounds chicken thighs and breasts
Salt and black pepper, as needed to season the chicken
2 red bell peppers, cut in ½-inch strips
2 small red onions, sliced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
¾ cup dry sherry
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (or diced plum tomatoes)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 handful fresh basil, thinly sliced, to garnish

Directions

Key ingredients

Black Pepper

Set a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat it to 350 °F. Cook the chorizo in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat until it renders and starts to brown, then drain it on paper towels.
Season the chicken and brown it on both sides in the fat, about 10 minutes in all. Set aside.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat. Add the peppers, onions, garlic and thyme, salt lightly and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the sherry, tomatoes, paprika and pepper flakes, scrape up the browned bits and simmer 1 minute.
Nestle in the thighs and the chorizo, cover and bake 15 minutes. Turn the thighs, add the breasts, cover and bake until cooked through, 10–15 minutes more. Adjust the seasoning and scatter with basil.

Notes

Source Adapted from Daniel Boulud’s recipe as adapted by Nick Kindelsperger, “Daniel Boulud’s Braised Basque Chicken with Tomatoes and Paprika,” Serious Eats. Boulud’s original uses only thighs; the adapter added breasts halfway through.

Not the textbook dish With sherry, chorizo and pepper flakes, this is a chef’s interpretation, which is why it carries his name rather than the name poulet basquaise.

The photo The photograph is Serious Eats’ own photo of this recipe.