About This Recipe:
Coq au vin is definitely not a quick weeknight dinner, but a great special occasion dish for French food at home. It’s basically an elevated chicken stew with red wine and thyme. I made some slight modifications to the traditional recipe- I omitted the bacon because I thought that the chicken skin would provide enough fat, and I omitted the brandy because I didn’t have any and I doubt it would make a difference. Like all good stews, this one does need to simmer for an hour, but good things come to those who wait. I like to serve coq au vin with mashed potatoes, but rice pilaf or a side salad would also be delicious.
Enjoy!
Ingredients (4 Servings)
-4 skin on bone in chicken thighs and legs
-1 yellow onion, diced
-4 carrots, cut into large wedges
-8 oz button mushrooms, halved
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tbl tomato paste
-2 tbls flour
-2 cups red wine
-1 cup chicken broth (or water)
-1 bay leaf
-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
-Olive oil
-Salt and pepper
–Optional side: mashed potatoes
Instructions (2 hours)
1. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, pour in 2 tbls of olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown each side for 4 minutes. Work in batches if the chicken does not all fit in a single layer. Transfer the chicken to a dish.
2. Sauté the onion, carrots, and mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and concentrate for 2 minutes. Then sprinkle in the flour and cook off for 1 minute.
4. Pour in the red wine and chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce the liquids to half (about 10-15 minutes.)
5. Add the chicken back in with the bay leaf, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour, making sure the chicken is fully submerged (or flip chicken halfway through.) Then uncover and simmer for another 10 minutes to thicken.
