Chilternrides
New Member
Can't claim credit for this, but my sister adapted it from a well known television cook's book; the ingredients and cooking methods vary from the prescribed order in the book, but the result was spot on 
Let's call it "Poulet Basquaise- ish"
The book recipe calls for whole jointed chickens, and some desirable rather than necessary ingredients, but we adapted and settled for bone-in thighs as there were potentially some fussy eaters joining us however...
For four people:
Eight good sized chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
150g of chorizo sausage cut into 1cm chunks or 1/4 inch rounds - your choice
Three large white onions
Two or three red pepepers
Eight / ten sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
Two hefty dessert spoonfulls of tomato puree
Four crushed cloves of garlic (variable upon personal taste of course)
500g of (preferably brown or whole, but white will do) basmati rice
1 large orange
Plain flour
Two good handfulls of black olives (pitted or stone - in, your choice)
(Optional) Two or three very finely chopped artichoke hearts
Your preferred selection of fresh herbs (dried will do but use less) - our choice was basil, tarragon and parsley
A bottle of dry white wine (the orginal recipe says a glass and a half, Pah!).
A pint and a half of chicken or veg. stock, (the Knorr stock pots are great for this recipe it may upset the purists but so what?)
Salt is not required as there is sufficient of both in the stock & chorizo, so go your own way with either white pepper or paprika.
Prepare & cook:
Now, chop up the chorizo, and put it on a very low heat in a wok or frying pan - you want the fat and the spices to leak out slowly without really cooking the meat at all.
Meantime, wash, dry & flour the chicken, and chop the onions as small as you can.
By now, there should be some nicely coloured oil released from the chorizo - take the sausage meat out, and put it to one side, place the floured breasts into the oil left in the pan - turn them occasionally until the skin is a very pale brown and has started to release its own fats.
Remove the chicken and put it to one side.
Now, turn the heat up to medium, and add the onions to the residual fats from the chichen & chorizo kepp stirring but don't let them go brown - you want them to be soft and releasing water.
When that happens, add the tomato puree and keep stirring until the soft onion is merely coated with the puree.
Add a glass of wine to the pan and prepare the stock - turn the heat off at this point
Put all of the rice into an oven proof dish (lid essential) and pour in all of the stock, the sun dried tommies, chopped articokes, roughly slice the red peppers and throw them in too along with the crushed garlic
Add the chorizo (not the chicken) and a splash of wine, slice the orange (complete with peel) into eighths and stir it all up
Take the chicken and push it io the rice "porridge" (yes. the rice is "raw" at this point) then sprinkle half of the olives and a bit of white pepper on top, and place the lid on. Oven needs to be at around 140 for an hour but do check occasionally, and if things look dry - a splosh of wine !
Once it has been cooking for an hour, add the rest of the olives throw in the herbs and drop the temperature to about 120 for another 30 mins. checking regularly - the wine is your saviour if it begins to look dry!
The only srirring of this should take lace before it goes in the oven - once its in, apart from wine & herb top ups - leave it be.
Two or three thighs per person with an equivalent dollop of the rice etc. it cooked on top of is about right with a fresh salad an LOTS of thick crusty bread & butter.
Let's call it "Poulet Basquaise- ish"
The book recipe calls for whole jointed chickens, and some desirable rather than necessary ingredients, but we adapted and settled for bone-in thighs as there were potentially some fussy eaters joining us however...
For four people:
Eight good sized chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
150g of chorizo sausage cut into 1cm chunks or 1/4 inch rounds - your choice
Three large white onions
Two or three red pepepers
Eight / ten sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
Two hefty dessert spoonfulls of tomato puree
Four crushed cloves of garlic (variable upon personal taste of course)
500g of (preferably brown or whole, but white will do) basmati rice
1 large orange
Plain flour
Two good handfulls of black olives (pitted or stone - in, your choice)
(Optional) Two or three very finely chopped artichoke hearts
Your preferred selection of fresh herbs (dried will do but use less) - our choice was basil, tarragon and parsley
A bottle of dry white wine (the orginal recipe says a glass and a half, Pah!).
A pint and a half of chicken or veg. stock, (the Knorr stock pots are great for this recipe it may upset the purists but so what?)
Salt is not required as there is sufficient of both in the stock & chorizo, so go your own way with either white pepper or paprika.
Prepare & cook:
Now, chop up the chorizo, and put it on a very low heat in a wok or frying pan - you want the fat and the spices to leak out slowly without really cooking the meat at all.
Meantime, wash, dry & flour the chicken, and chop the onions as small as you can.
By now, there should be some nicely coloured oil released from the chorizo - take the sausage meat out, and put it to one side, place the floured breasts into the oil left in the pan - turn them occasionally until the skin is a very pale brown and has started to release its own fats.
Remove the chicken and put it to one side.
Now, turn the heat up to medium, and add the onions to the residual fats from the chichen & chorizo kepp stirring but don't let them go brown - you want them to be soft and releasing water.
When that happens, add the tomato puree and keep stirring until the soft onion is merely coated with the puree.
Add a glass of wine to the pan and prepare the stock - turn the heat off at this point
Put all of the rice into an oven proof dish (lid essential) and pour in all of the stock, the sun dried tommies, chopped articokes, roughly slice the red peppers and throw them in too along with the crushed garlic
Add the chorizo (not the chicken) and a splash of wine, slice the orange (complete with peel) into eighths and stir it all up
Take the chicken and push it io the rice "porridge" (yes. the rice is "raw" at this point) then sprinkle half of the olives and a bit of white pepper on top, and place the lid on. Oven needs to be at around 140 for an hour but do check occasionally, and if things look dry - a splosh of wine !
Once it has been cooking for an hour, add the rest of the olives throw in the herbs and drop the temperature to about 120 for another 30 mins. checking regularly - the wine is your saviour if it begins to look dry!
The only srirring of this should take lace before it goes in the oven - once its in, apart from wine & herb top ups - leave it be.
Two or three thighs per person with an equivalent dollop of the rice etc. it cooked on top of is about right with a fresh salad an LOTS of thick crusty bread & butter.
.
