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Aquitaine
Into the same cocotte as the piperade, chicken made its entrance: the red of tomatoes, the green of peppers, and Sunday poultry that transformed an accompanying sauce into a dish in its own right.
Traditional dish from Aquitaine.
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Poulet basquaise does not begin with chicken. The dish descends from an older preparation, the Basque sauce — also known as piperade —, born in Soule, one of the seven historical provinces of the Pays basque, in the east of the territory. Originally, this sauce of tomatoes, garlic, onion, and red and green peppers was eaten mainly with bread, without any meat.
Only by gradually becoming richer did this base eventually welcome poultry, transforming an accompaniment into a dish in its own right. As its name suggests, the dish remains deeply rooted in the Pays basque, where it blends the influence of neighbouring Spanish cuisine with the terroir produce of the French South-West.
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The red and green peppers and the tomatoes that make up the sauce are not chosen at random: their combination deliberately recalls the colours of the Basque flag — red, green and white. This interpretation accompanies most accounts dedicated to the dish, and it explains why Basque sauce continues to convey, on the plate, an assertive regional identity long after chicken found its place there.
Appearance
Golden chicken pieces, coated in a thick reddish-orange sauce, flecked with green strips of pepper and rounds of melted onion.
Taste
Mild sauce, slightly tangy from the tomato, lifted by the confit pepper and, depending on the version, a touch of piment d'Espelette.
Texture
Tender chicken meat, coming away from the bone after slow cooking; velvety sauce, with the vegetables almost melted into their juices.
finely slice onions, garlic, and red and green peppers, then gently brown them in olive oil.
jambon de Bayonne and piment d'Espelette may be added at the end of cooking depending on the version of the recipe.
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Poulet basquaise is served hot, traditionally accompanied by white rice, which catches the vegetable sauce. On the wine side, a white from the South-West — Irouléguy blanc, Jurançon sec, Pacherenc sec or Gaillac blanc — is the most recommended choice: its crisp acidity answers the piquancy of the piment d'Espelette, the sweetness of the confit peppers and the richness of the sauce.
Poulet basquaise carries no official label (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP), TSG (STG) or Label Rouge): it is a free traditional recipe, derived from Basque sauce (piperade), which each family or restaurant in the Pays basque prepares in its own way.
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