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Coq Au Vin

Coq Au Vin
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My first taste of Coq Au Vin was at a restaurant called, what else, Le Coq. They closed a few years ago and I wept because it was a favorite. Coq Au Vin is considered a classic example of French cuisine, a favorite of Julia Child and considered one of her signature dishes.

Directly translated the name means rooster with wine, but I have never seen packaged chicken at the grocery labeled by gender. Practically speaking you don’t know which you have, and for that reason a friend scolded me when I announced we were having rooster with wine. Regardless, I refuse to call it poulet au vin.

Craving some coq au vin, I did my due diligence and practiced, and practiced until I ended up with this recipe. It’s far better than what was served at Le Coq and was the main course for my French dinner party.

It’s a three day process but don’t fret. Day one is marinating the chicken and day three is just warming it up. Get ready and go!

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken Marinade

  • 8 pieces of chicken, 4 legs and 4 thighs
  • (1) 750 ml bottle of Burgundy or Pinot Noir
  • 1 large yellow onion – sliced into 1/4” pieces
  • 2 celery ribs – sliced into 1/4” pieces
  • 1 large carrot – peeled and sliced
  • 2 TBL olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove – smashed
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Cooking the Chicken

  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 4 TBL olive oil – divided
  • 1/2 lb slab bacon – sliced into 2” pieces
  • 3 garlic cloves – minced
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 3 TBL AP flour
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth – brown broth if available
  • 16 pearl onions – peeled
  • 1 lb small cremini mushrooms – halved
  • 2 TBL chopped parsley
  • 8 sprigs parsley for garnish

Instructions

Marinating the Chicken

  1. Combine the wine, onion, celery, carrot, garlic and peppercorns in a large pot
  2. Bring to a boil on high heat then reduce to medium and simmer for 5 minutes
  3. Cool completely then mix in the olive oil
  4. Pat the chicken dry then place in a large glass bowl. Pour the marinade mixture over the chicken and gently turn or stir to ensure the chicken is well coated.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for 1 day, turning the chicken once or twice to thoroughly marinate.

Cooking the Chicken

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
  2. Tie the parsley stems, bay leaves and thyme together in cheesecloth and set aside
  3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on paper towels to drain
  4. Strain the marinade. Reserve the liquid and vegetables separately
  5. Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and saute the bacon until crisp and browned 6-8 minutes
  6. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towels
  7. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper
  8. Add 1 TBL of oil to the bacon grease and increase heat to medium high. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides about 6-8 minutes per batch. Set the chicken aside.
  9. Add another TBL of oil to the pan and add the celery, carrot, onion, peppercorns and garlic. Saute until softened, 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  10. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to coat evenly
  11. Stir in the wine and chicken broth, bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook until sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes.
  12. Remove from heat. Add chicken pieces and the herb bundle, nestling them into the vegetables
  13. Cover the dutch oven and bake in the oven until tender, about 1-1/4 hours
  14. While the chicken is cooking, heat 1 TBL olive oil in a large skillet and saute the pearl onions about 8-10 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper and set aside with the bacon.
  15. Heat the remaining TBL of olive oil in the skillet and saute the mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside with the bacon and onions.
  16. Carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven – it will be heavy and hot!
  17. Remove the chicken to a large bowl. Strain the sauce, discarding the vegetables and herbs. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the sauce.
  18. Gently combine the sauce, bacon, onions and mushrooms, then pour over the chicken. Gently fold with a spatula to fully coat each piece of chicken.
  19. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to thoroughly meld

Serving the following day

  1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees
  2. Gently return the chicken and sauce to your dutch oven
  3. Reheat at 225 degrees for 2 hours then remove and finish on your stove top on low heat until ready to serve
  4. Plate over brown butter egg noodles and garnish with fresh sprig of parsley

Find it online: https://www.cooksavorcelebrate.com/coq-au-vin/