Espelette chili powder is a special spice found in the Basque region of Spain, and it’s
hard to buy here. A good substitute is a mix of sweet paprika, smoked paprika and
cayenne pepper, which we’ve used in this take on a typical Basque chicken dish.
HANDS-ON TIME
25 minutes
TOTAL TIME
1¼ hours
MAKES
4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 3 sweet red peppers, halved and cored
- 1 sweet onion, thickly sliced
- 1 can (796 mL) whole tomatoes, drained
- 140 g dry-cured chorizo, cut in chunks
- 10 cloves garlic
- 8 small bone-in skin-on chicken pieces (half-breasts, thighs and/or drumsticks), about 1.25 kg total
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1¾ tsp chopped fresh thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
PREPARATION
- On a rimmed baking sheet, broil red peppers, cut sides down, until blackened, about 12 minutes. Let cool enough to handle. Peel off blackened skins. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 2 days.)
- In a roasting pan, combine the red peppers, onion, tomatoes, chorizo, and garlic cloves.
- Toss the chicken with oil to coat.
- Combine thyme, salt, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper; rub all over the chicken.
- Place the chicken, skin side up, on the vegetable mixture in the pan.
- Roast in a 450°F (230°C) oven, basting halfway through, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 45 minutes.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION, PER EACH OF 6 SERVINGS: about 415 cal, 28 g pro, 28 g total
fat (8 g sat. fat), 14 g carb, 2 g fibre, 95 mg chol, 668 mg sodium, 690 mg potassium.
% RDI: 6% calcium, 19% iron, 25% vit A, 175% vit C, 13% folate.
TIP FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
Look for dry-cured Spanish chorizo or Portuguese
chouriço in the deli section of the supermarket,
near the cured meat. South American fresh chorizo
is an uncooked sausage; don’t substitute it for the
dry-cured.
