Basque-Style Chicken with Rice

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g chicken breasts
• 240 g basmati rice (dry weight)
• 2 red peppers (about 300 g)
• 1 green pepper (about 150 g)
• 2 onions (about 200 g)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 200 ml chicken stock (1/2 stock cube dissolved in hot water)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Espelette pepper
• 2 sprigs of thyme and 1 bay leaf
• A few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
• Salt, pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Casserole dish or sauté pan with lid
• Saucepan
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Wooden spoon
• Colander

📖 Steps

1. Cut the chicken breasts into large 3 to 4 cm chunks. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with half the Espelette pepper. Slice the onions, chop the garlic and cut the deseeded peppers into strips about 1 cm wide.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the casserole over a high heat. Sear the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes, turning, until golden on all sides (it doesn't need to be cooked through). Set aside on a plate.
3. Turn down to a medium heat, add the rest of the oil, the onions and peppers. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and melting. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute without letting it brown.
4. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stock, add the thyme, bay leaf and remaining Espelette pepper. Scrape the bottom of the casserole with the wooden spoon to lift the browned bits: they add lots of flavour to the sauce.
5. Return the chicken and its juices to the casserole. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes over a low heat. The chicken is done when the meat is white all the way through. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes if the sauce is too runny.
6. Meanwhile, rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs almost clear. Cook it in plenty of boiling salted water for about 11 minutes (check the packet), then drain well.
7. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Serve the Basque chicken on the rice, sprinkled with chopped parsley at the last minute.