Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Coq Au Vin

 I have recently challenged myself to move beyond my culinary comfort zone. For some reason Coq Au Vin seemed very intimidating to me. In French, it literally translates to "Rooster in wine". Maybe because it is a French dish or because of the whole rooster thing, I would always shy away from making this dish. After reading through a couple of recipes, I realized it was basically chicken cooked in red wine. Now that is something I am comfortable with. This is a very hearty and warming dish. The veggies, wine, slow cooked chicken and fresh herbs all meld together into one big pot of deliciousness.



Coq Au Vin:

4 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
2 chicken breast, skin on, bone in
4 slices Applewood Smoked bacon
1/2 small onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1/2 cup of button mushrooms, washed & chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup red wine (I used Merlot)
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon of fresh sage, thyme and rosemary
2 tablespoons flour
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a large Dutch oven on the stove. Add in 4 slices of bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon and add in chicken. Cook chicken, skin side down, for 5-7 minutes. Flip chicken and cook an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken and place on a plate. Add in onion, celery, carrots and whole garlic cloves. Cook for 4 minutes. Add wine, chicken broth and salt & pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and add in fresh herbs, mushrooms and tomato paste. Mix well. Add chicken back into the pot. Place in oven, without lid and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and pour 1/2 cup of cooking liquid into a small bowl. Add in flour and mix well. Add flour mixture into pot and stir well.

Note: I served my dish over egg noodles. Garlic mashed potatoes would work well too.

Enjoy!



20 comments:

  1. i love coq au vin but have only ordered it at restaurants - have never tried making it myself. yours looks awesome! i will definitely have to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Amy. I was surprised how easy it is to make. The hubby liked it, which is always a good sign:)

      Delete
  2. I've yet to make this classic even though I tend to order it when I see in on a menu. Yours looks terrific!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Shelley. I really appreciate it. I had to make do with chicken since I did not have an old Rooster running around:)

      Delete
  3. I actually made a purring rawr-type noise when I saw the words Coq Au Vin. Then I saw the photo . . . *drools*. I remember making it ages ago, but I haven't since, for some reason. But now I'm gonna. You've inspired me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww. Thank you Mary. This was a huge culinary hurdle for me. I think mine is a quicker version than the low and slow recipes that are out there on the internet. The egg noodles I paired it with were from Central Market. They were delicious!!

      Delete
  4. Coq au vin is one of my favorite dishes. I first tried in France when studying abroad, actually. But I've never attempted to make it myself. I love that you served yours alongside a big piece of crusty French bread! This looks simply delicious and not as intimidating as I assumed. Steph you have a great talent for tackling tough dishes & making them seem so much less intimidating. Thank you for sharing your recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many Thanks Ally. I would love to have tried this classic dish in France. I bet it was wonderful!! I think some crusty French bread is a must when serving this dish. You need something to soak up the sauce:) I appreciate your sweet comment.

      Delete
  5. This looks fabulous...how could it not be with bacon and red wine?!?!? I'm pinning this to make one night soon!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Wendy. I agree...anything with bacon and wine gets my vote.

      Delete
  6. Yum! Love boozy chicken. I bet the smell in your house was insane!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! Yes...It was a little wine for the chicken...a little wine for me, type of dish:) I think the fresh herbs added a lot of flavor.

      Delete
  7. On a rainy day like today, that sounds like just the perfect thing to ratchet up the comfort level. Luscious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Maggie. So glad that you are back:) Yes, this the perfect comfort, rainy day meal.

      Delete
  8. It's funny how the French like to continue to intimidate us by just a name. So thankful for Julia to debunk that. I felt the same way you did the first time I made French Macaron's. I was so intimidated and then I made them and they came out just fine. Your Chicken and Wine looks divine and I am pretty sure you would even trick a French Chef I'm jus sayin!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right? The name alone sounds intimidating:) I think this is perfect peasant food. Hearty and delicious! Thank you for the comment.

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. Thanks! This was definitely not the easiest dish to photograph:) Appreciate you stopping by.

      Delete
  10. Hello. Thank you so much for this great recipe. I varied it a bit in that I made it all in the skillet and I changed the sage, which I did not have, for a little mint. It still turned out delicious and my family did not leave anything on the plate. Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to hear! I'm glad your family enjoyed it. Thank you for the comment.

      Delete