Poulet Basquaise

On Sunday Kyla and I went to the Farmers Market in Camino Real and found some amazing Tulips and Poppies. The yellow tulips, also called Washington Triumph Tulip, produces a bright yellow bloom with a stroke of bold red down the center of each petal. It's slightly hard to see since the yellow tulips aren't in full bloom but they are so beautiful and elegant! Both Bill and I love them so much we are going to order some bulbs to plant at the Holly Rd House.



We also love to do most of our food shopping at the Farmers Market. Kyla helped me pick out some veggies for this weeks dinners. Last night I made Poulet Basquaise, a french chicken dish. I have found cooking chicken breast with the bone in makes for more tender and juicy breasts.


Here's the recipe:

Poulet Basquaise

Adapted from the Les Halles cookbook by Anthony Bourdain with a few of my own addditions added.

1 whole chicken (I used 3 chicken breast halves with the bone in instead)
salt and black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil (I used garlic olive oil that I got from Il fustino)
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves minced
2 red bell peppers, cut into fine julienne
2 green bell peppers, cut into fine julienne
1 onion, thinly sliced
20 ounces canned plum tomatoes
½ cup white wine
½ chicken broth ( I used low sodium)
½ cube chicken bouillon (I used the better then bouillon chicken base)
3 springs of flat parsley, finely chopped
2 cups brown sprouted rice ( I cooked my rice with low sodium chicken broth rather then water. It gives it much more flavor!!)

Season the chicken all over with the salt, pepper, and cayenne. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil gets hot, add the butter. Once the butter has foamed and subsided, add the chicken, skin side down, and brown on that side only. Remove the chicken with tongs and set aside on a plate.

Add the peppers, garlic and the onion to the pot and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for about ten minutes before adding the tomatoes. Now cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get up all of the goodness. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, then add the chicken broth and the bouillon cube.

Return the chicken to the pot, making sure to also add all of the juices from the plate where it’s been resting. Cover the pot and allow to cook on low for about 25 minutes. Remove the chicken to the serving platter.

Once the chicken is removed, increase to high heat and reduce the sauce for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the parsley. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately with the rice.