Poulet basquaise — chicken braised with peppers and tomatoes

Wash and dry the vegetables. Remove the stems, seeds and white membranes from the peppers, leaving the skin on. Weigh 300 g red pepper and 200 g green pepper, then cut into strips about 1 cm wide. Remove the stems and hard stem bases from the tomatoes. Weigh 500 g, cut into small dice and keep the skin, seeds and all the juice released.

Thinly slice the onion and finely chop the garlic. On a separate board, prepare 650 g raw chicken thigh meat without skin or bones: pat dry and cut into pieces about 4–5 cm across. Mix with 3 g salt and all the black pepper. Have ready a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet about 28 cm in diameter, with a capacity of at least 3.5 l and a lid.

Heat all 30 g olive oil in the pan over medium heat. Arrange half the meat in a single layer and brown on both sides, then transfer to a plate. Repeat with the second batch; allow about 10–12 minutes in total for both. At this stage the meat is not yet fully cooked. Keep all the oil in the pan and all the juices that collect on the plate.

Add all the onion and remaining 2 g salt to the pan used for the meat. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Add all the red and green pepper strips. Cook for another 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until the peppers begin to soften and the onion turns translucent. Do not pour off any fat or vegetable juices.

Add the garlic and stir for about half a minute; do not let it burn. Add all the diced tomatoes and collected juice. Pour in 80 g water and add all the piment d’Espelette. Stir, scraping up any remaining browned bits from the bottom, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to break down. The skin and seeds stay in the sauce.

Return all the chicken pieces to the vegetables and pour in every drop of juice from the plate. Stir gently so the sauce coats the meat. Once everything comes to a gentle simmer, cover and reduce the heat. Braise for 25–30 minutes, stirring along the bottom once or twice, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. The sauce should bubble gently and the pepper strips soften without turning mushy.

Remove the lid and cook over low or medium-low heat for about 8–10 minutes, stirring gently. The sauce should thicken slightly and coat the chicken and peppers while staying juicy. Do not pour off any liquid or oil, and do not remove the vegetables; reduce gently without scorching the bottom. Stop when the consistency is right and all the meat is cooked.

Divide all the meat, vegetables and sauce into four portions, scraping the contents from the sides of the pan too. Serve hot, immediately after preparation. Cool leftovers promptly in a shallow container, cover and refrigerate; use within 2 days. Reheat over gentle heat, stirring, until the entire portion is thoroughly hot.