Coq au Vin

As we are all still in some kind of lockdown and figuring out how to keep our lives fun and interesting. we decided to do a zoom cooking party with friends and family, cooking the same dish at the same time. so for the first trial run we choose to a traditional french dish that is perfect for those cold days and nights.

Recipe adapted from JULIA CHILD'S COQ VIN

PREP TIME: 45 MINS

COOK TIME: 30 MINS

TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken thighs

  • 4 chicken drumsticks

  • 1 1/2 cup red wine (250-350ml)

  • 1 cup chicken stock or water (250-500ml)

  • Optional: 1/4 cup brandy

  • 3 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (350g)

  • 1 medium onion, quartered then thinly sliced

  • 4 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1-2 tablespoon tomato paste (15-30ml)

  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or dried thyme or herbs de provence)

  • 8 ounce mushrooms, thickly sliced (240g)

  • 8 ounce pearl onions, peeled (240g)

Instructions:

  1. Place the chicken thighs and drumsticks in a medium-sized bowl and pour the wine, you can add your fresh or dried herbs now if you like. cover and place fridge to marinate for at least a couple of hours, best overnight.

  2. Prep the vegetables.

  3. Add the bacon to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook until the bacon is crispy, about 8 minutes, then remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon.

  4. Remove the chicken from the wine marinade (save the wine) and dry the chicken with paper towels. Working in 2-3 batches if needed, place the chicken in the pan, skin side down. Sear until it is golden on both sides (about 5 minutes each side) then remove the chicken from the pan. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon/chicken oil into a heatproof dish and set it aside.

  5. Add the sliced onion and carrots to the pan and let them cook until the onion is golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and let it cook for 1 minute.

  6. Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and add the tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste until it is fragrant and begins to darken. add the flour and cook it for 1-2 MINUTES. then Pour the reserved wine marinade and chicken stock into the pan, scraping the bottom to remove any stuck on bits.

  7. Nestle the chicken into the pan, if you didn’t add your fresh or dried herbs to the marinate add them now. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

  8. Pour 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil (or use olive oil) into a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until brown, about 10 minutes. then Add the pearl onions, saute until slightly brown.

  9. carefully turn the chicken so that all of them cook evenly, chicken is done when it starts to fall from the bone. if your sauce is not thick enough, then you might want to add a beurre manie. This can be a combination of butter or water with either flour or corn starch. Remove the chicken from the pan then add the beurre manie. Stir it into the sauce and let it thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  10. Add the chicken back into the pan and top with the cooked bacon and mushrooms. Sprinkle with a little fresh thyme. add vinegar or season to taste.

What a delicious but quite rich dish. and what a fun way to cook, I guess you have to come up with new ways to entertain oneself safely during this pandemic. I had eaten coq au vin before but actually never made it. it is actually quite easy to make, a bit of prep work but once you get the chicken slowly cooking you can comfortably wait around. the chicken was cooked perfectly, it was so tender the meat just feel off the bone. And the sauce was deliciously rich, if you do not like the taste of wine then i would recommend not using so much wine and adding more chicken stock. as i knew this was a rich dish i had served it with some simple roasted potatoes and boiled green beans. this is a great dish to make for a dinner party during those colder months, it will certainly keep you warm and very full. sometimes cooking french dishes can be a bit OVERWHELMING but this dish is surprisingly quite easy to make, however it does take some time to prepare so it is definitely a weekend dish. although a rich dish, something about it is so comforting. I will definitely be making this again as I now know how to make it, but next time i might add a few other ingredients to add or deepen the flavor.

cookingJackie Wongcoq au vin, red wine, french, julia childComment