Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin is a classic French dish of chicken cooked in red wine, a surprisingly easy way to make delectable chicken. I consulted recipes from several sources to make this one. One tip in particular from Julia Child is to blanch the bacon slices first. We didn’t do this the first time we made it and the result was almost too salty. So, next time we blanched the bacon. It removes some of the saltiness from the bacon before you cook with it.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb bacon slices
  • 20 pearl onions, peeled, or 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 3 lbs chicken thighs and legs, excess fat trimmed, skin ON
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups red wine (pinot noir, burgundy, or zinfandel)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Several fresh thyme sprigs
  • Several fresh parsley sprigs
  • 1/2 lb button mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1 Blanch the bacon to remove some of its saltiness. Drop the bacon into a saucepan of cold water, covered by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, drain. Rinse in cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the bacon into 1 inch by 1/4 inch pieces.

2 Brown the bacon: Heat a Dutch oven large enough to hold the chicken on medium high heat. Add the bacon pieces and cook them until browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked bacon and set aside.

4 Brown the chicken and onions: Keep the bacon fat in the pan. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season all sides with salt and pepper.

Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken, skin side down, to the hot pan. Brown the chicken well, on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Add the onions and garlic and cook a few minutes more.

5 Add chicken stock, wine, herbs, bacon, then simmer: Spoon off any excess fat. Add the chicken stock, wine, and herbs. Add back the bacon. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through.

Remove chicken and onions to a separate platter. Remove the bay leaves, herb sprigs, garlic, and discard.

6 Make sauce with mushrooms: Add mushrooms to the remaining liquid and increase the heat to high. Boil quickly and reduce the liquid by three fourths until it becomes thick and saucy.

Lower the heat, stir in the butter. Return the chicken and onions to the pan to reheat and coat with sauce. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve.

7 Serve: Serve with potatoes or over egg noodles. Peas make a good side for this dish.