Thursday, October 15, 2009

Rustic Basque Chicken Stew with Tomatoes, Potatoes, and other Yummy Things

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Blog, I've missed you. And I am so tired of explanations and excuses, so I'm not going to go into it. Honestly though, I needed a break. The last six months of my life have just been so crazy, so full of crisis, sleeplessness, and borderline hysteria, that now that things have finally begun to settle down I just needed to chill OUT and get my life back together.

BUT.

Now I'm back! And I have so many yummy autumnal recipes to share with you! And so many cute pictures of this little one! I love him so, even if he has turned my world upside down shook it within an inch of its life.


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This recipe is very special to me. It was one of the very first things I learned to cook when I was about 16, and the first taste of it floored me. I had never tasted something so good, and truth be told, I didn't even know food could taste so rich and wonderful. I'm not going to lie to you - my mom is not exactly the most inspired of cooks, and it was normal for us to eat the same thing every night for dinner for YEARS. My sister and I still joke about the "stuff on rice" years, where we ate sauteed chicken and vegetables on rice every single night for about 6 years. That's 2190 consecutive dinners of the same thing. By the 2189th dinner, we were really tired of it. This stew was SO good, and it still is. It's not as mind-blowing to me as it was back then, seeing as how I eat different things for dinner all the time now, but it's still mighty good. BECKS RECOMMENDS. You may cook now.


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Basque Chicken Stew With Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Other Yummy Things
adapted from Paul Williams

The secret ingredient in this stew is BACON. Bippity Boppity Bacon! Don't leave it out. It's important. And so tasty.

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts
1/4 lb bacon
2 medium yellow onions
2 red bell peppers (or 1 red and 1 green)
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 cups small new potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 cup white wine
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
1 pinch cayenne pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon)
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil



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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush olive oil over 2 chicken breasts, and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in over 15 - 20 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the oven, and let cool.



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Dice Chicken.



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Cut 2 red bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove the stem and seeds. Roast in the oven until tough skins are blackened, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.



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remove skins for peppers, and slice into long strips.



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Cut 1/4 lb bacon into small strips. Saute in a heavy bottomed skillet until crispy. Remove from pan, reserving the bacon grease.



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Chop two medium onions into long strips. Saute in the reserved bacon fat until softened and translucent.




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Place bacon and chicken in a large pot.




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Add sliced pepper, sauteed onions, and 2 cups chicken stock.




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Add 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes...




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...1 cup white wine...




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...1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley...




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... and 2 cups peeled, roughly chopped new potatoes.




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Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and let simmer 1-2 hours, until potatoes are soft. Tastes even better the second day. Enjoy!

8 comments:

  1. Hi! I love all your recipes. The photos are exceptionally well taken. And every time there is a warm leading story before the recipe. You are the best home cooking blogger!

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  2. It is just too hard to get up to Bakersfield to eat at Noriega's, so I am going to be initiated into Basque cooking with this recipe. Thanks very much.

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  3. Looks SO good. I made something similar last week, with beef and red wine and it was amazing. Can't wait to try this next time it cools off a bit.

    P.S. James is so CUTE!

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  4. I made this today, it's so delicious. Thanks for the recipe.

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  5. I made this recipe for a party of about 20 people last night. Everybody loved it. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. absolutely adorable baby - and yes, they will turn your world upside down and make you crazy. But, its a love like no other.

    The recipe is great - accept I did not roast my own peppers, nor did I dice my chicken. I let it all slow roast together. It was much easier and still very good.

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  7. seeing as you mentioned 'bibbity bobbity bacon', this link is a MUST LISTEN TO the next time you're cooking with bacon. you will not be disappointed. that audio clip is on the mix; all the songs refer to pork. http://www.mixcrate.com/mix/8770/Bacon-the-Funk

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  8. I made this yesterday but did not include bacon, however ~~~ a whole fresh jalapeno added a nice kick for me! Thanks for the delish recipe.

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