Recipe development is a funny thing… I’m in the last stages of finalising recipes for the next instalment of French Food for Everyone (next chapter coming at you in December – it’s all about le dîner/ dinner recipes!) and am working my way through recipe tester feedback.
I have a small but mighty group of testers (some of whom have been testing recipes for me since back in 2017 for In the French kitchen with kids!) who have been so enthusiastic and who are so detail-oriented in their feedback that it makes my job easy.
Every now and then, though, some feedback comes along that stops me in my tracks. Sometimes in a “OMG I have to get back in the kitchen IMMEDIATELY and remake this and check XYZ detail!” (this happens more often than it needs to but it’s par for the course for someone who second guesses EVERYTHING!).
But sometimes, it’s in a “Oh wow, I hadn’t thought of that!” way (kind of the point of recipe testing, right?). And sometimes, it even helps me develop a new recipe as is the case with today’s post. I’ve been working on a recipe for Poulet Basquaise for years now and I’ve finally got a version that I LOVE – it’s easier than my previous versions, less fussy and so do-able for a weeknight. Testers raved about this version – the version I tried to include in In the French kitchen with kids was a bit unwieldy for younger chefs and ultimately got cut from the book, so I’ve been working on making it a better recipe for ages now.
What is Poulet Basquaise?
Basque chicken or Poulet Basque/ Basquaise is a specialty of the Basque region in Southwest France. It’s a chicken stew with a sauce (piperade) made with red and green peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes and Espelette pepper, simmered slowly and the white (of the chicken) and red and green (of the peppers) represent the Basque flag. Traditionally the chicken pieces are on the bone and for my version, I use flavourful chicken thighs. But one of my testers came back to me with feedback that while they made the recipe as was written for the testing, they probably wouldn’t choose the recipe because they don’t like working with chicken thighs. Hmm, ok then. They loved the sauce but didn’t like the chicken on the bone. Ok then… Fair.
While I won’t adjust the final recipe for inclusion in the book, I DID go back to the kitchen and work on a version made with chicken breast because it’s always a good idea to have options in recipes. And, lucky for you and my cooking club students this week, I’m sharing this (easy) version with you today.
Basque chicken stew - the easy way! Typically made with on-the-bone chicken thighs, this version is made with chicken breast, making it quicker for a weeknight and easier for younger chefs to help! As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Basque Chicken Stew (the easy version!)
Ingredients
Instructions
Add the chicken and cook until it’s just starting to brown on the outside (+/-5 minutes, depending on your pan and the size of your chicken pieces).Recommended Products
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As soon as I saw the pic, I could smell the dish. Yum