Every year for the holidays, I like to make meals for my mom that freeze and reheat easily so she can have special treats throughout the winter months. This year, I found myself in the mood for Coq au Vin. Coq au Vin translates to rooster cooked in wine because it originated as a method to cook an older hen or rooster that may have been too old and tough for other cooking methods. Maybe that origin story doesn’t seem so appetizing, but the dish is fabulous. For cold weather, this recipe cannot be beat. I am calling this to “live to eat” rather than “eat to live,” because it does need a long cooking time to stew the chicken so it is completely tender and falls off the bone. The sauce is absolutely decadent. I had to make it again for myself and some friends because I was craving it so much after giving the first batch away – and it did not disappoint! It is well worth the effort it takes to make.
Coq au Vin
Equipment
- 1 Cutting board (secured)
- 1 Chef's Knife
- 1 heavy gauge rondeau or braising pan
- 1 medium-sized mixing bowl for dredging
- 1 plate or baking dish for partially-cooked chicken
- 1 tongs for turning chicken while searing
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 slotted spoon or fish spatula
- 1 baking dish for holding chicken warm in oven while finishing sauce on stovetop
- 1 ladle
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Applewood Smoked Thick-cut Bacon
- ¼ cup olive or avocado oil (Note: may need more to keep pan nicely oiled for searing the chicken & then for the vegetables).
- 8 each Skin-on Chicken Thighs (or a mix of thighs and drumsticks)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour seasoned with 1 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tbsp black pepper
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms washed and quartered
- 1 medium onion diced macedoine (1/4-inch dice) – about 2 cups
- 8 ounces pearl onions (I prefer thawed frozen ones, as they are the easiest)
- 4 ounces peeled whole cloves of garlic with the tips cut off
- 3 each carrots peeled and cut into ¼-inch rondelles (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 2 ounces brandy
- 2 cups red wine
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken stock if not homemade then use organic low-sodium version
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup fresh parsley finely chopped or chiffonade
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
- Kosher salt and black pepper to adjust seasoning at the end
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut the bacon into ¼-inch lardons. Render in rondeau over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel to dry. Save for garnish at the end.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour, seasoned with the salt and pepper. Shake off any excess flour.
- To the bacon fat, add the olive oil. Heat to medium.
- Sear the chicken thighs in a single layer, skin side down in the bacon fat and oil over low to medium heat until golden brown and crispy. Then cook on the other side. Once all the chicken has been completely seared to crispy and golden, remove the chicken to a plate or baking pan. This plate or baking pan should not be used later for the cooked chicken. To avoid cross-contamination, please use a different baking pan for the cooked chicken.
- Add a little more of the olive oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan, if needed.
- Sauté the quartered mushrooms until nicely browned.
- Add the diced onion and pearl onions to the pan to lightly brown.
- Add the carrots and garlic and cook until translucent – and you smell the garlic.
- Deglaze the pan with the brandy. Cook until au sec (almost dry), meanwhile scraping up all the tasty bits of fond on the bottom of the pan.
- Once the brandy has been cooked away, add the red wine. Reduce the red wine for about 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Then add the can of whole tomatoes. Crush the whole tomatoes with the wooden spoon.
- Add the chicken stock and bay leaf. Stir everything together. Carefully place the chicken thighs, skin-side up back into the liquid.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cover with a lid or foil and place in the 350º F oven for one hour.
- After one hour, remove the chicken to a baking dish, as well as any vegetables that you can scoop up with the fish spatula or slotted spoon. Reduce the heat of the oven to 200º F. Hold the chicken and vegetables in the warm oven uncovered (to help the skin crisp a bit) until the sauce is reduced.
- Turn the heat to high on the stovetop and reduce the sauce until it is a nappé consistency, which means it is thick enough to coat the chicken and not be runny. As it cooks, taste it and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper as needed. Also use the ladle to depouillage any foam or fat that rises to the top. When there is about 5 minutes to go, remove the bay leaves and add the chopped fresh thyme.
- Once the sauce consistency is exactly like you want it and the flavor is delicious, add the fresh chopped or chiffonade parsley and pour over the chicken and vegetables just prior to serving.
- This is delicious with classic egg noodles, but also delicious with brown rice or mashed potatoes. You really can not go wrong. Serve with a green salad or green vegetable and warm bread to help sop up the delicious sauce.
(not pictured in this version is the carrots and diced onion – but please do it – I got better at this the second time!)
Enjoy this with whatever you like best – cooked egg noodles or brown rice or even mashed potatoes. In this picture, I had not thought to add the carrots and definitely forgot the crispy bacon for garnish – but what a hit! This is great with a green salad, or green vegetable and some crusty bread to help get every bite of the decadent sauce.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know what you think. Thanks! Ashley 😉
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