A Flavorful Basque Chicken Dish
A flavorful dish that is easy to prepare. I love to add chorizo and olives, but that is optional.
A flavorful dish that is easy to prepare. I love to add chorizo and olives, but that is optional.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 medium yellow onions thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 4 pounds chicken breasts with bone
- 1 tablespoon spanish smoked paprika
- 4 medium tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 jar roasted red peppers sliced or 2 roasted red peppers
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 links chorizo(optional)
- pimiento stuffed green olives (optional)
- Carbohydrate 7.34319125089057 g
- Cholesterol 145.1495584 mg
- Fat 22.1393108627069 g
- Fiber 1.92921253872068 g
- Protein 48.9740458227358 g
- Saturated Fat 6.20318227103355 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (366g)
- Sodium 508.419221550543 mg
- Sugar 5.41397871216989 g
- Trans Fat 1.94702034852078 g
- Calories 433 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Spread onions and garlic evenly in the bottom of a large shallow roasting pan. Alternately, you can saute the onion and garlic till soft, then add to teh roasting pan. If you are adding the chorizo, you can cook it till brown and set aside Cut each chicken breast in half. Sprinkle chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side up, in pan. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, red peppers, chorizo(if using) and broth. Continue baking 35 to 40 minutes, basting chicken occasionally, until chicken juices run clear. Add olives just before serving. Serve with saffron rice.
Staggering the addition of liquid after the initial twenty minutes of dry heat prevents the tomatoes and red peppers from boiling the chicken skin instead of roasting it. Bone-in breasts require this precise thermal staging to develop rendered fat and concentrated flavor without turning waterlogged.
Managing Moisture in a Shallow Pan
Spreading thinly sliced onions and garlic across the bottom of a large shallow roasting pan creates an aromatic rack that keeps the meat elevated above direct contact with pooling liquids. Peeling and seeding the four medium tomatoes before chopping eliminates excess water content that would otherwise dilute the reduced-sodium chicken broth and smoked paprika pan sauce. When arranging the split chicken pieces skin-side up, leave small gaps between each cut to allow dry oven heat circulation at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Basting the surface every ten minutes during the final thirty-five to forty minutes redistributes the rendered chicken fat, ensuring the skin crisps evenly.
Storage and Next-Day Development
Allowing the cooked dish to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container prevents condensation buildup inside the refrigerator. Storing the poultry separately from the broth reduces the absorption of excess liquid during the three-day refrigeration window. Reheating individual portions in a skillet over medium-low heat restores the integrity of the rendered chorizo oils better than a microwave.
