Description
Ina Garten’s chicken bouillabaisse recipe blends Mediterranean flavors with classic French coastal cooking techniques. Robust aromatics and perfectly seared chicken create a hearty one-pot meal you’ll savor with crusty bread and good friends.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 chicken (4 to 5 lbs / 1.8 to 2.2 kg), cut into 10 pieces
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 450 g baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved
- 1 large head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
- 400 g tomato purée
- 375 ml chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 250 ml dry white wine
- 3 tbsps Pernod
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tsp saffron threads
- 1 tsp whole fennel seeds
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Crusty French bread, for serving
Rouille:
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tsps kosher salt
- 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 ½ tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tsp saffron threads
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 250 ml olive oil
Instructions
- Seasoning: Meticulously coat chicken pieces with salt, black pepper, and rosemary leaves, ensuring comprehensive flavor penetration.
- Searing: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, browning chicken pieces to develop a rich caramelized exterior, working in batches to maintain optimal temperature and color.
- Aromatic Base: Reduce heat and introduce garlic, saffron, fennel seeds, tomato purée, chicken stock, white wine, and Pernod, deglazing the pot by scraping residual caramelized fragments to capture intense flavor foundations.
- Sauce Development: Simmer the liquid mixture for 30-40 minutes, allowing ingredients to meld and reduce, creating a deep, complex sauce with concentrated aromatic characteristics.
- Oven Preparation: Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F) for precise slow-cooking technique.
- Blending and Combining: Process sauce until silky smooth, then reintroduce potatoes and browned chicken, ensuring complete ingredient integration.
- Slow Cooking: Bake covered for 45-55 minutes until potatoes become tender and chicken reaches perfect doneness, adjusting seasoning as needed.
- Rouille Creation: Combine garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, saffron, and red pepper flakes in a food processor, transforming ingredients into a harmonious base.
- Emulsification: Gradually incorporate olive oil while processing to create a luxurious, creamy rouille with a velvety texture.
- Serving: Plate bouillabaisse in shallow bowls, crown with a generous rouille dollop, and accompany with crusty French bread for an authentic culinary experience.
Notes
- Boost Chicken Flavor: Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt, pepper, and rosemary to create a robust taste foundation before cooking.
- Master Browning Technique: Sear chicken in batches over medium heat, ensuring golden exterior without overcrowding the pan for maximum flavor development.
- Perfect Sauce Consistency: Simmer sauce slowly to allow flavors to meld and thicken, scraping caramelized bits for deeper, more complex taste profile.
- Rouille Success Tips: Create a smooth, creamy emulsion by gradually adding olive oil while processing, which ensures a rich and stable sauce texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 30 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg