What is Basque chicken stew?
Basque chicken stew is a popular dish in Southern France, particularly in the Basque region. The region includes the southern portion of France and a small area of Spain. It's a richly flavored stew similar to a French beef stew called boeuf bourguignon.
Basque chicken has many variations, but the ingredients are almost always the same: chicken, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and sweet red peppers, usually all simmered together in a single pan, although it can be cooked in stages and then finished together.
- The dish starts similarly to coq au vin: You sear chicken thighs in olive oil and then braise them in red wine with aromatics, herbs, and some diced bacon or pork belly. But while coq au vin is traditionally made with red wine and is finished with a thickening agent like flour or cornstarch, Basque chicken stew uses white wine and is finished by swirling butter into the sauce just before serving. This results in a lighter-colored sauce almost creamy without adding any cream or other dairy products.
Basque chicken stew may not have all the same ingredients as coq au vin (like mushrooms), but it has similar flavor profiles — rich, meaty, earthy, and acidic — even if it.
Origin of Bosque chicken Stew
The origin of Basque chicken stew is unclear, but the dish has several things in common with a classic French chicken dish called Poulet basquaise.
This French version is made with tomatoes and peppers, usually green ones. It's often served with rice or potatoes. Tossing in some olives, as we do here, isn't unusual either.
The origin of this Basque chicken stew can be traced back to one of the many restaurants that claim to have invented it. According to legend, a patron at La Niña de Fuenterrabía restaurant in San Sebastián asked for a dish made with only the ingredients on hand, including tomatoes, peppers, and onions. The chef obliged, and the result was one of Spain's most iconic dishes.
- If you're short on time, you can skip the step where you roast the vegetables since they soften nicely as they cook in the stew. But if you do have time, roasting them adds another layer of flavor. This is a great way to use up any leftover roasted vegetables from last night's dinner!
Try Bosque chicken Stew with Potatoes
The Bosque Chicken Stew with Potatoes is a traditional recipe of the people that live in the forest of Canaima, Venezuela. It's a simple chicken and potatoes cooked in an aromatic sauce with fresh herbs, garlic, and onions. People use this recipe for cooking with some of the local ingredients available.
There are many different versions of this dish, but they all have one thing in common:
- They start with a base of onions, garlic, and tomatoes.
- Some variations include carrots or peppers, but the most common ingredient is chicken broth. The broth gives the dish richness and flavor, so it's important not to skip this step!
Bosque Chicken Stew with Potatoes
- A warm stew is perfect for a cold winter's night. Bosque Chicken Stew is hearty and delicious, and it goes great with warm bread or tortillas.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder (if using). Dredge the chicken pieces in this mixture until evenly coated.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken in the skillet on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan.
- Add onions to the pan and cook for about 1 minute, constantly stirring to remove any leftover flour from the bottom of the pan. Add garlic cloves, chiles, oregano, cumin, and chicken broth to the pan and bring to boil. Return chicken to the pan along with any juices that may have accumulated by the plate and potatoes.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
Bosque chicken Stew Marinade
The Bosque Chicken Stew Marinade is a unique blend of herbs and spices, transforming ordinary chicken into a delicious meal. It is perfect to use with any chicken cut, but it is incredibly delicious on grilled or roasted chicken.
This versatile marinade can be used as a rub, sauce, or basting liquid. When using as a basting liquid, we recommend that you first use the marinade to coat the entire chicken and let it sit for 30 minutes before cooking. During this time, the herbs and spices will penetrate the skin and meat. This will give your chicken a wonderful flavor inside and out! Then use the remaining marinade as your basting liquid during cooking to add color and flavor to your dish. This blend is also great on other meats like pork, beef, or fish, so don't be afraid to experiment!
You can also use it on veggies (like potatoes) or tofu for a delicious vegetarian option.
- The Bosque chicken stew marinade is a reasonably new recipe gaining popularity among chefs and home cooks alike. This version of the Bosque chicken stew is not only healthy but it's also packed with flavor and is easy to prepare.
This Bosque chicken stew marinade is also great because it can be used as a base for other recipes such as chili, meatloaf, and more! Just add some fresh cilantro, garlic, and lime juice to spice things up.
What to serve with chicken Basque Stew
Basque chicken stew is a delicious dish best served with a simple side dish. The most common side to serve with Basque chicken stew is rice, but you could also serve it with a salad or a loaf of crusty bread. Another great option is French fries, which can be homemade or purchased at the store. If you make homemade fries, do not use too much oil when cooking them because they will soak up the oil and become greasy.
- If you are serving Basque chicken stew with rice, use brown rice because it is healthier than white rice. If you are serving it with salad greens, avoid using iceberg lettuce because it has very little nutritional value. Instead, use romaine lettuce, spinach, or a mixture of both.
- If you don't know about Basque cuisine, then you should. It's a rich and colorful tapestry of flavors, textures, and ingredients from the coastal regions of northern Spain and southern France. Basque food is known for its simplicity and love of pure, fresh flavors and seasonal ingredients.
The Basque region has a language unrelated to other Romance languages like Spanish or French. It has an international reputation as a hotbed for terrorism in the past, but today it is known for its distinctive culture, beautiful architecture, world-class food, and nightlife.
Basque-style chicken stew is usually made with sautéed chicken, chorizo sausage, peppers, and tomatoes in a creamy sauce. It's often made with bell peppers in three colors — red, green, and yellow — to represent the Spanish flag. You can use whatever color bell peppers you have on hand, though. I also add onions to my recipe because they add an extra layer of flavor.
The stew is finished with cream or crème Fraiche to give it richness and body. The vegetables are tender-crisp, the chicken succulent, and the silky sauce smooth with a slight kick from both white wines.
Sauces for Basque chicken Stew
Try one or more of these:
- Basque chicken stew can be served with a garlic sauce, similar to the aioli served with aioli.
- Piperade is a tomato-pepper sauce that is commonly served with this dish.
- Salsa Verde is another good choice, especially if it's made with parsley and vinegar, as it is in France.
Here are some of my favorite sauces:
- Honey Mustard Sauce: One of my most popular recipes is excellent with chicken and pork.
- Basque Sauce: I used the sauce on the Basque Chicken Stew recipe; it's tangy and delicious!
- Red Enchilada Sauce: This is another family favorite; it's so good on top of enchiladas or chilaquiles!
- Cilantro Lime Sauce: For a kick of flavor, use this cilantro lime sauce; it's great on tacos too!
Wines that go well with Bosque chicken Stew
The Bosque Chicken Stew is an aromatic, hearty, and warming stew. Some intense flavors here don't limit your wine pairing options too much. The idea of a good pairing is to find a wine that can stand up to the stew's flavors without overshadowing them.
Some good options include:
Rioja: This Spanish red wine is made from Tempranillo grapes and often comes in several different styles. The Gran Reserva, Crianza, Reserva, and Joven are all styles that would work well with this dish, depending on your preference. As a general rule of thumb, the longer the wine has been aged; its flavor will be more robust.
Chianti: Chianti is another excellent option for this stew. It's a bit softer than Rioja and works well with a wide variety of foods. Like Rioja, it comes in several different styles, including Classico and Super Tuscan.
How to serve Bosque chicken Stew
The stew is served over thin spaghetti, but you can also serve it without pasta. Instead, serve with lots of crusty bread to sop up the sauce and a green salad on the side.
If you're using a slow cooker, be sure to cook the chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes first. This helps brown the chicken and renders some fat before cooking in the slow cooker. You still have to saute the broth mixture before adding it to the slow cooker, but this step can be skipped if you're making it in a Dutch oven or stovetop pot.
As written, this recipe makes a fairly thick stew with lots of tender chicken pieces. If that's not your style, feel free to reduce the amount of chicken by half (but keep all of the broth). For more broth stews, less meat works better because there's not as much liquid to go around.
Other dishes that do with Bosque chicken Stew
The Bosque Chicken Stew Recipe is simple and delicious to make this stew regularly but what to serve with it?
Here are some suggestions:
Arugula is the perfect complement to Bosque chicken stew. Arugula has a similar peppery flavor, and the slightly bitter flavor of the greens balances out the sweet flavors in the stew. Arugula also contains vitamin C, which helps you absorb iron from food.
You can use arugula instead of spinach in this recipe. Add the arugula right before serving so that it wilts slightly but retains its bright green color and peppery flavor.
The rich flavors of Bosque chicken stew pair well with crusty bread for dipping into the fragrant broth. If you're feeling extra fancy, you can spread garlic butter or pesto on the bread first and then toast it in a skillet or under the broiler. You could also use French or Italian bread instead of plain white bread, which would give your meal a continental flair.
You don't need a lot of starch to accompany Bosque chicken stew because there are already plenty of potatoes in the stew itself.
The Bosque chicken stew is very delicious. Here are some other dishes that go with it:
- Cranberry Bread Pudding with Creme Anglaise
- Mashed Garlic Potatoes
- Creamy Pumpkin Soup
- Fresh Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppy seed Dressing
Tips for making Basque chicken Stew
A few tips for making Basque chicken stew:
- If you want to keep it traditional, use red bell peppers.
- If you cannot find piment d'Espelette, try substituting paprika or cayenne pepper. These will give your dish different flavors so it won't be 100% authentic, but it will still be delicious!
- If you prefer to skip the bacon and make a vegetarian version of this stew, omit the bacon and substitute vegetable stock for the chicken broth.
So the natural beauty of the recipe of chicken Basque stew is that it can be made with pretty much any meat – chicken, rabbit, venison, beef, or pork. It's also delicious with fish such as cod or sea bass, shellfish (prawns or clams), or even vegetables (squash and aubergine).
