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!