Coq au Vin

This is my own recipe for coq au vin. I don’t like the bacon that’s featured in the authentic version, so I leave it out. And since I’m usually making the dish with leftover wine from the night before—or sometimes a bottle that just wasn’t worth drinking—the quantity of liquid is variable. Stewed chicken in wine is quite forgiving, thankfully.

Coq au Vin
serves 4-6

1 chicken, cut into pieces
6 small onions, peeled and halved
1 large carrot, cut into thick rounds
2 cloves garlic, slightly squashed
1 can chicken broth (low salt)
1 cup red wine (or more)
6 sprigs fresh thyme
butter
flour
3 cups mushrooms, stemmed and halved
salt & pepper

In a heavy sauce pan, brown the chicken in butter until the skin is crispy. (Depending on the size of the pot, you might need to do it in two batches.) Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the garlic, onions and carrots and cook over medium heat until the onion starts to carmelise.

Pour in the chicken broth. Place the chicken back into the pot and add red wine to barely cover the chicken. Toss in some fresh thyme. Simmer for about 45 minutes.

After 30 minutes of simmering, saute the mushrooms in butter until they relase their liquid but are not yet shrivelled. Add the mushrooms to the chicken pot, reserving the butter in the pan. To the mushroom butter, add an equal amount of flour to form a roux, stirring to remove lumps. Scrape the roux into the chicken pot and stir to thicken the gravy. Allow to simmer a few more minutes to cook the flour. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a loaf of French bread and a salad.

Note: If you like a thicker gravy, dredge the chicken in flour before frying it and add the roux at the end, as well.

Posted by kuri at August 18, 2005 11:24 AM