Coq au vin



Coq au vin is a French braise of chicken cooked with red wine (pinot noir, burgundy, or zinfandel), lardons (salt pork), button mushrooms, onions, garlic and brandy.
Coq au vin was conceived on peasant French farmer's kitchens. Coq au vin translates to "rooster in wine". The rooster would be kept until it was too old to be useful on a farm, at which time it would be killed and cooked. As an old rooster would be a tough one, the meat would be hard and stringy. In order to make this rooster edible, cooking it slowly in wine would soften it. Consequently, most modern versions use a chicken instead of a rooster. However, the old name "coq au vin" is always used, even if a chicken is substituted for the traditional rooster. So here's the recipe of the famous "coq au vin" where the chicken cooks in a luxuriously rich, velvety sauce, punctuated by smoky bacon and earthy mushrooms.

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 oz (110g) bacon sliced into lardons
1 tbsp olive oil
8 pieces chicken (I used 4 chicken thighs and 4 chicken legs)
salt
pepper
4 onions, sliced (or 20 pearl onions)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp cognac or brandy
2 cups red wine
1 cup chicken stock
thyme srpigs
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
8 oz (225g) button mushrooms, quartered

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate.

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Season well with salt and pepper. Once the bacon has been removed from the pot, add a few of the chicken pieces in a single layer, and brown for about 5 minutes, turning to brown both sides evenly. Remove the chicken pieces to the plate with the bacon and repeat with the remaining chicken in batches until all of it is browned. Set aside.

Add the sliced onions (or the pearl onions), 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of pepper to the pot. Cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, and cook for a few minutes, until most of the alcohol has cooked off. Put the bacon, chicken, and any juices on the plate back into the pot. Add the wine, chicken broth, bay leaf and thyme springs. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just no longer pink.

Mash the 1 tablespoon of the butter and the flour together in a small bowl, and stir the paste into the stew. In a medium sauté pan, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.


Coq au vin

Ingrédients (4 personnes):
110 g de lardons
1 càs d'huile d'olive
8 morceaux de poulet (j'ai utilisé 4 hauts de cuisses and 4 pilons)
sel
poivre
4 oignons émincés (ou 20 oignons grelots)
2 gousses d'ail, hachées
2 càs de cognac
475 ml de vin rouge
235 ml de bouillon de volaille
brins de thym
1 feuille de laurier
25 g de beurre
2 càs de farine
225 g de champignons de paris, coupés en quarts
Faites chauffer une càs d'huile d'olive dans une cocotte. Ajoutez les lardons et faites-les revenir environ 10 mn jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient légèrement dorés. Réservez.

Epongez le poulet avec du papier absorbant. Assaisonnez-le avec du sel et du poivre. Faites revenir les morceaux de poulet dans la cocotte sur tous les côtés. Réservez.

Ajoutez les oignons émincés (ou les oignons grelots), 1 càc de sel, 1 càc de poivre. Faites cuire à feu moyen environ 10-12 mn, en remuant occasionnellement, jusqu'à ce que les oignons soient légèrement dorés. Ajoutez l'ail et faites-le revenir 1 mn. Versez le cognac and faites cuire quelques minutes. Mettez les lardons, les morceaux de poulet avec les jus accumulés dans la cocotte. Versez le vin et le bouillon, ajoutez le laurier et le thym. Portez à ébullition puis laissez mijoter 30 à 40 mn, jusqu'à le poulet soit cuit.

Mélangez 1 càs de beurre et la farine ensemble dans un petit bol, et ajoutez ce mélange au ragoût. Dans une sauteuse, faites fondre la cuillère à soupe de beurre restante et faites revenir les champignons pendant 5-10 minutes, jusqu'à coloration. Ajoutez-les au ragoût. Portez le tout à ébullition et laissez cuire encore 10 minutes. Goûtez et rectifiez l'assaisonnement si nécessaire.

Comments

  1. Pinot noir would be my choice to braise the chicken!! Looks fabulous!

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  2. C'est un plat que j'aime beaucoup mais que j'oublie de faire plus souvent; la photo le rend encore plus appétissant.

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  3. It looks wonderful, comforting, and so delicious.

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  4. je dois bien t'avoir qq chose Cherine, JADORE ton assiette :D

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  5. Wow, very impressive! I have been wanting to make coq au vin for my bf but I am always intimated by the recipes. Your version sounds so good. I need to get over my fear and just make this for him. I'm sure he would really enjoy it. Thanks!

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  6. This looks wonderful and you managed to tame the bruised color the wine usually gives the chicken. This is one of my favorite French peasant dishes. You did a great job with it. Have a fabulous day. Blessings...Mary

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  7. It's such a dark and rainy day here, and this dish would be perfect, cozy, comforting food. :-) Well done!

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  8. Un classique toujours apprécié !
    J'ai repéré aussi plein de jolies choses sur ton blog, que je testerai sans aucun doute..Bonne soirée!

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  9. Chico, it's a little too hot to prepare this classic but I do enjoy it in the cooler months. Bravo on a popular and rustic French dish.

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  10. Thanks for sharing this elegant recipe with us. I have never tried Coq au Vin but it is on the list for sure! xo

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  11. Wonderful--I love cooking with wine! It's very hot here right now, but I need to make this when cooler weather comes.

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  12. I love coq au vin but I've never made it myself. Yours looks quite good--thanks for the history on the dish, too! :-)

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  13. Oh qu'il est beau ce coqu au vin, superbement reussi! un classique a ne pas oublier!

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  14. is this a photo you made??????????????
    i know it tastes great but the photo is TOP!!!!!

    LOVE!!

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  15. def. my all time favorite meals! classic!

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  16. I love wine based sauces - this sounds wonderful!

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  17. This looks amazing! Great pictures :)

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  18. I have not cooked this for a long time. I'll have to make this soon. Yours must be really tasty with the brandy and wine.

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  19. Oh, coq au vin sounds so wonderful! And your pictures are just gorgeous!

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  20. I love your pictures. The coq au vin looks amazing.

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  21. your coq au vin looks amazing!! I remember having it in Paris, the waiter didn't think I knew what I ordered....what a great meal and great memories...

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  22. Tes photographies sont absolument superbes! Et ton coq au vin semble tout à fait délicieux.

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  23. This is a dish that my mom does really well! It looks delicious, I've never tried myself. Maybe I'll try it soon. Thanks!

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  24. Comfort food for me, I could totally eat this all day long :)

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