Coq Au Vin
serves 2-4
Coq au vin is a classic French stew that used to mean rooster, or cock, cooked in wine. Old birds who'd been kept around for years needed to be braised slowly to soften up their meat, and the sauce for the dish was thickened with the cock's blood. These days, we use chicken when making a coq au vin, and a roux to thicken the sauce.
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
salt and pepper
4 pieces thick-cut bacon, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup red wine
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
prep: 30 minutes
total: 1 hour 30 minutes
large sauté pan
slotted spoon
paper towel-lined plate
tongs
2. Heat the large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until it's crisp. Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain it on a plate lined with paper towel.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the olive oil to the bacon fat. Add the chicken pieces and let them brown well on all sides, 10-12 minutes total. (Turn the heat down if you need to so that the chicken browns but doesn't burn.) Remove the chicken to a plate.
4. Add the butter, onions and mushroom to the pan and stir. Season everything lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and mushrooms begin to soften, 6-8 minutes.
5. Stir in the garlic and cook until it's fragrant, 30 seconds or so. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the onions and mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until the onions darken, 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and cook another 1-2 minutes.
6. Pour in the broth and wine, and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits. Return the chicken and bacon to the pan, and add the herb sprigs and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook, turning the chicken once, until the pieces are cooked through and tender, 20-25 minutes.
7. To finish, stir in another teaspoon or so of wine and the chopped parsley.
