Coq Au Vin

Coq Au Vin is a traditional French dish that is basically chicken braised in wine

 This recipe makes me think of my Mom, Mary and Julia Child.  My Mom loved watching Julia Child cook.  Julia had one of the original cooking shows!

The dish that I make is a hybrid of their recipes and I hope it would make them proud!

I have about 4 pounds of chicken parts that I’ve trimmed and cut into similar sized pieces

I separated the legs from the thighs and cut the breasts in half for even cooking

Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper

Cut 4 slices of bacon into pieces and render over medium heat in a dutch oven

This will take about 8-10 minutes.  Remove the bacon and leave the fat

Let’s prep the veggies.  Chop one medium onion, 3 peeled carrots and 6 garlic cloves  Measure out a couple of tablespoons of flour that we’ll use as a thickener

Set aside while we cook the chicken

We’re going to brown the chicken in batches.  Place skin side down over the hot bacon fat and cook for about 7 minutes, flip and cook 7 minutes more

Remove from the pot and cook the remaining chicken parts in the same fashion

Saute the onions and carrots over medium heat until they are softened a bit – just about 10 minutes

Then add in the chopped garlic and cook for another minute or two

Sprinkle in the flour and mix to incorporate

Now for some liquids… measure out 1/4 cup of brandy, 2 cups of dry, red wine, one cup of chicken stock and 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master and add to the pot with the veggies

Stir and add the chicken back in, skin side up.  Sprinkle with the reserved bacon and about 10 sprigs of fresh thyme

Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 45 minutes

Oh man.  The smell of bacon and wine.  Doesn’t get much better than that!

Final step is to add in 1 cup of pearl onions and 6 ounces of mushrooms that have been cleaned, stemmed and quartered

Stir, put the lid back on the pot and simmer for another 10-12 minutes until the mushrooms are tender

Place the chicken on top of the veggies with a sprinkle of fresh parsley

We serve over potatoes or noodles with the gravy on the side

 

“I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food…” – Julia Child

Enjoy!

Tools used to make this recipe

Simply Bamboo Cutting Board

OXO Good Grips Fish Turner

Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set

Royal Classique Measuring Cups

Pyrex 3-Piece Glass Measuring Cup Set

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