coq au vin
I’m always on the lookout for recipes that call for humble ingredients and use them really well. Coq au vin, translated “chicken in wine,” is a traditional French dish. I’ve only made coq au vin twice – once a white wine recipe and the second a red wine. I am no expert – just now discovering the variations of this dish – but this is a recipe worth keeping around. I was first inspired to try it when I came across it in a special edition of Gourmet magazine showcasing comfort foods dating back to Winter 2016. In the issue, they published a white wine recipe version with crème fraiche. We really enjoyed the recipe, and I’ll share that soon. But today, I’m sharing a red wine version of coq au vin.
coq au vin (red wine version)
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, broken down into 8-parts
- 4 ounces bacon, cut into small pieces
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, quartered
- 8 ounces pearl onions, blanched and peeled
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
- 1 1/2 cups beef or chicken broth
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- 1 TBSP dijon
- 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 TSP dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
- 1 1/2 TSP salt
- 1/2 TSP pepper
- 2 TBSP all purpose flour
- 2 TBSP butter, softened
- fresh parsely, chopped
Instructions
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and then season well with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Set aside.
In a large Dutch oven (I use an enamel coated Le Creuset, but there are many suitable brands out there), brown the chicken pieces in batches over medium to medium high heat until golden brown on each side. This should take ~5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until lightly softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat process with the pearl onions, and set aside. Sauté garlic for 30 seconds or so until aromatic. Add 1/2 the bacon, the chicken, red wine, cognac, broth, tomato paste, Dijon, balsamic, fresh and dried thyme, bay leaves, carrots, salt and pepper. Cover and place in the 350F oven for 30 minutes. If adding potatoes, add them at the same time so that they can cook through. After 30 minutes has passed, check the temperature of the chicken parts - I find that the legs take a little bit longer to cook through.
In a bowl, mix butter and flour together into a paste. Once the stew is finished cooking, place the Dutch oven on a burner to simmer. Add the mushrooms and onions and use a whisk to incorporate the flour/butter mixture into the sauce. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened and delicious. Garnish with remaining bacon and fresh parsley.
This dish can be served over mashed potatoes or with steamed creamer potatoes. We opted to add potatoes into the pot when it went into the oven.
Notes
Inspired by:
Gourmet Magazine
Feasting At Home