Pollo Basquaise (Basque Chicken)

I always wanted to go to Spain. I mean who wouldn’t want to see the Sagrada Familia, or take a stroll along La Rambla in Barcelona? I would love to tour the Alhambra in Granada, go tapas bar hopping in Madrid, watch the tapping of a flamenco dancer in Seville, admire the moorish architecture of Toledo, or relax on a sunny beach in Ibiza. And the food! I would love to eat paella, jamon serrano, churros con chocolate, turron…. Alas, it’s all still just a dream for me. Maybe someday I’ll finally make it to Spain. For now, the closest I can get is to prepare Spanish dishes like this one.

POLLO BASQUAISE (BASQUE CHICKEN)

• 12 small new potatoes, peeled or unpeeled (your choice)
• 3 Tbsp. extra­ virgin olive oil
• 3 – 4 dried Spanish chorizo sausages (like chorizo de Bilbao), cut diagonally into ¾-inch pieces
• 8 skin-­on, boneless chicken thighs, halved crosswise
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small can (4 oz.) tomato paste
• 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 10-12 jarred piquillo peppers, drained and halved lengthwise
• 1 jar (5 ozs.) pimento-stuffed green olives, drained
• 1 can (15 ozs.) garbanzo beans, drained

1. Boil potatoes until cooked, drain, and set aside.
2. In an 8-quart Dutch oven or large, high-­sided, cast ­iron skillet, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add chorizo and cook, turning occasionally, until browned.
4. Transfer cooked chorizo to a large plate and set aside.
5. Add remaining olive oil to the pot and raise heat to medium-high.
6. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper, then add skin side down to pan.
7. Cook until skin is browned and chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.
8. Transfer cooked chicken to the plate with the chorizo.
9. Lower heat to medium and add onion, garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf.
10. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions become translucent.
11. Stir in tomato paste and diced tomatoes with the juice.
12. Cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
13. Return the chorizo and chicken to the pot.
14. Add the wine and chicken stock, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
15. Add the potatoes, piquillo peppers, olives, and garbanzo beans.
16. Continue to cook, stirring well, until vegetables are heated through.
17. Serve hot with white rice.

NOTE:

• Buy boneless, skinless chicken or remove the skin if you prefer not to eat it.
• If you can’t find piquillo peppers, substitute 1 chopped fresh red bell pepper, and add it in when you add the wine and chicken stock.
• You don’t have to use the whole jar of olives or the whole can of garbanzo beans. Feel free to use only as much as you want. Or omit them entirely if you prefer. Old Goat loves garbanzos and my kids love olives so I throw them all in.

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