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Coq au vin in serving dish with mashed potatoes.
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5 from 1 vote

Coq Au Vin

Chicken braised in red wine and aromatics, topped with bacon, onions and mushrooms, coq au vin is classic French comfort food.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
overnight marinating12 hours
Total Time14 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 530kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cups red wine
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 3 cloves garlic, 1 whole and 2 finely chopped
  • 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 5 to 6 pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces (cut the breasts in half crosswise)
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley plus 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 2 bay leaves (preferably fresh, but dry will work)
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ lb thick-cut bacon, cut into 2-inch long slivers
  • 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
  • 3 tablespoon butter (I use salted butter)
  • 18 pearl onions, peeled (see notes below)
  • ½ lb cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

Instructions

  • In medium pot, bring wine, peppercorns, whole garlic, celery, carrots and sliced yellow onion to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Let cool.  Place chicken in large bowl and pour cooled wine mixture over the pieces and then drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Cover and marinate overnight.
  • Heat oven to 325º and make bouquet garni; tie parsley sprigs, bay leaves and thyme sprigs together, set aside. 
  • Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry.  Strain marinade, reserving the solids and liquid separately.  
  • In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Remove bacon to a bowl with slotted spoon and set aside.
  • Increase heat to medium high. Working in batches, brown chicken in bacon drippings, 6-8 minutes, and then transfer to a plate.  Add the reserved solids and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with flour and stir and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in reserved liquid and bring to a boil.  Stir and simmer for 1 more minute.  Stir in remaining garlic, shallots, chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste.  Nestle in the chicken and bouquet garni, cover and bake until tender, about 1¼ hours.
  • When chicken is tender, transfer to a plate and tent with foil.  Strain sauce and keep warm on stove.
  • While chicken is baking, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add peeled pearl onions and cook until lightly browned and golden, about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until tender, another 8 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  Combine onions with bacon.
  • Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium high heat.  Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes or so.  Arrange chicken on a platter, spoon some sauce over and top with bacon, onions, mushrooms and chopped parsley.  Seve with mashed potatoes and more sauce on the side.  Enjoy.

Notes

  1. I used an inexpensive but good Pinot Noir for this dish.  No need to break the bank.
  2. Cut up a whole chicken into eight pieces (discard the back or use for stock).  Cut the two breasts in half crosswise to yield 10 pieces.
  3. To peel pearl onions, trim the root ends and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds.  Remove to an ice bath, cool, then squeeze the stem end of each onion and it should just slip out of the skin.  If not, use a paring knife to help remove the skin.

Nutrition

Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 457mg | Potassium: 807mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2120IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg