Chicken Basquaise

Name: Chicken Basquaise
Prep time: 17 min
Cook time: 31 min
Total time: 48 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 1.5kg Chicken; 25g Butter; 6 tblsp Olive Oil; 2 sliced Red Onions; 3 Large Red Pepper; 130g Chorizo; 8 Sun-Dried Tomatoes; 6 cloves sliced Garlic; 300g Basmati Rice; drizzle Tomato Puree; ½ tsp Paprika; 4 Bay Leaves; Handful Thyme; 350ml Chicken Stock; 180g Dry White Wine; 2 Lemons; 100g Black Olives; to serve Salt; to serve Pepper

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Chicken recipe with France flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 51 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 48 min total

1.5kg Chicken
25g Butter
6 tblsp Olive Oil
2 sliced Red Onions
3 Large Red Pepper
130g Chorizo
8 Sun-dried Tomatoes
6 cloves sliced Garlic
300g Basmati Rice
drizzle Tomato Puree
½ tsp Paprika
4 Bay Leaves
Handful Thyme
350ml Chicken Stock
180g Dry White Wine
2 Lemons
100g Black Olives
to serve Salt
to serve Pepper

Step-by-step instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Have the chicken joints ready to cook. Heat the butter and 3 tbsp olive oil in a flameproof casserole or large frying pan. Brown the chicken pieces in batches on both sides, seasoning them with salt and pepper as you go. Don't crowd the pan - fry the chicken in small batches, removing the pieces to kitchen paper as they are done.
Add a little more olive oil to the casserole and fry the onions over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned. Add the rest of the oil, then the peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the chorizo, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the rice, stirring to ensure it is well coated in the oil. Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, bay leaves and chopped thyme. Pour in the stock and wine. When the liquid starts to bubble, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Press the rice down into the liquid if it isn't already submerged and place the chicken on top. Add the lemon wedges and olives around the chicken.
Cover and cook in the oven for 50 minutes. The rice should be cooked but still have some bite, and the chicken should have juices that run clear when pierced in the thickest part with a knife. If not, cook for another 5 minutes and check again.

Why this works on a weeknight

Chicken Basquaise lands at about 48 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Sheet-Pan Dinners collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Chicken Basquaise actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍳 Sheet-Pan Dinners Chicken France Meat