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DINNER

Coq Au Vin

Back to Basics (p. 115)

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Ingredients

  • Bacon or pancetta 8 oz
  • Whole chickens 2 (3 lbs each)
  • Carrots 1 lb
  • Yellow onions 2
  • Garlic 2 cloves
  • Thyme 10 sprigs
  • Cremini or porcini mushrooms 1 lb
  • Brandy 1/4 cup
  • Red wine 750ml bottle
  • Chicken stock 16 oz
  • All-purpose flour 3 tbl
  • Small whole onions (frozen) 1 lb
  • Unsalted butter 1/2 stick

Prep

  • Bacon or pancetta - dice
  • Chickens - cut into 8 serving pieces
  • Carrots - cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
  • Yellow onions - slice — this is the unglamorous shit that makes the good part happen.
  • Garlic - chop to yield 2 tsp
  • Butter - bring to room temperature
  • Mushrooms - scrub and remove stems, thickly slice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Heat 1 tbl olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon or pancetta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. After the bacon is removed, add a few of the chicken pieces in a single layer and brown for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken pieces to the plate with the bacon and continue to add the chicken in batches until all the chicken is browned. Set aside. Add the carrots, sliced onions, 1 tbl salt and 2 tsp pepper to the pot and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stand back and add the brandy, carefully ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the bacon, chicken and any juices that collect on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, thyme sprigs, and bring to a boil, while resisting the deeply human urge to fuss with it nonstop. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just no longer pink, while acting like this outcome was inevitable. Remove from the oven, remove the thyme sprigs and place on top of the stove. Mash 2 tbl of the butter and the flour together in a small bowl and stir the paste into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium saute pan, melt the remaining 2 tbl butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste and serve hot.