Poulet Basquaise

A Basque farmhouse dish from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, formalized in cookbooks by the early 20th century. The piment d'Espelette — a New World pepper that arrived via Spanish trade in the 16th century — took to the damp Basque climate and replaced black pepper across the regional kitchen. Poulet Basquaise is essentially the same pepper-and-tomato base used for piperade, with chicken added.

Pyrénées-Atlantiques farmhouse stew formalized in early-20th-century cookbooks. Espelette pepper — fruity, ~4,000 SHU, smoke-cured on village balconies — replaced black pepper across the regional kitchen after arriving via 16th-century Spanish trade.

Bone-in chicken pieces braised in a chunky red-orange stew of tomato, onion, and Espelette-rubbed peppers (red, green, sometimes the long mild piment doux). The sauce stays loose, not pureed — you see the pepper strips. Served over rice or with crusty bread to swab the pan. The Espelette gives a slow, smoky warmth, not heat.

Espelette is the load-bearing seasoning — fruity, ~4,000 SHU, smoke-cured on village balconies. Substituting paprika gives color without the underlying funk; cayenne gives heat without the fruit. Brown the chicken hard first, then build the sauce around it; the fond at the bottom is what carries the dish from a stew into something that tastes braised.