Coq Au Vin
Coq Au Vin Dish Guide
Serves 4
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
4 bone-on, skin-on chicken legs
2 cups red wine
1.5 cups chicken stock
3-4 strips thick sliced bacon, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh thyme sprigs
8 oz cremini mushrooms
3 T flour
3 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
3-4 medium carrots, diced
2 T tomato paste
1 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat add the diced bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes or until mostly rendered. Remove and set aside.
Add the chicken, working in batches, and brown skin side down for 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Flip and brown the other side for 4-5 minutes as well. Once all chicken is browned on both sides, reserve about 2 T of the bacon/chicken fat in the pan and set aside.
In the fat remaining in the pot, add the sliced onion and diced carrot to the pot and cook out for 8-10 minutes or until they take on some color and soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Make a bare spot in the center of the pot and add the tomato paste. Cook out for 1-2 minutes or until it begins to darken.
Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze the fond. Add the vinegar and beef stock and bring to a simmer. Add the fresh thyme sprigs (we recommend tying them up in some butchers twine for easy removal). Return the chicken to the pot and submerge it in the liquid as much as possible. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes at a simmer, flipping the chicken over in the liquid halfway through.
While the chicken cooks, add the 2 T reserved fat to a skillet over medium high heat and toss in the mushrooms. Sautee for 5-7 minutes or until they have browned and given up most of their water. Optionally you can add a few pieces of the bacon to this skillet to get it nice and crispy to use as a garnish. Set mushrooms and crispy bacon aside.
Cut (mix) the flour and butter together to form a beurre manie.
After 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Remove the thyme sprigs and discard. Add the mushrooms and any bacon not being used for garnish. Add in the butter/flour paste and immediately stir the pot over medium heat. Once the butter melts the flour will gelatinize and thicken the sauce.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired. An additional splash of vinegar at the end will brighten the stew as well. Return the chicken to the sauce and serve immediately. This is a hearty stew that is great on its own but would also be tasty with some egg noodles, mashed potatoes or rice and a peppery salad.
