Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin. A fancy name for a rustic, cozy chicken stew. This is a great fall/winter weekend dinner to have simmering on the stove, making your house smell amazing. It doesn’t take much chopping and once you’ve browned your chicken the hard work is done. I love it with a baguette and green salad. Red burgundy is traditional but you can improvise. It doesn’t taste boozy, although if you’re worried do half wine, half chicken broth.

Ingredients

• 4-6 oz pancetta or bacon, diced
• 1 chicken cut into 8 pieces (ask yourself butcher to cut it for you)
• 1 onion, cut into small dice
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 2 springs fresh thyme
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs flour
• 3/4 bottle of red wine
• 2 Tbs butter
• 8-12 oz frozen pearl onions
• 3 c button mushrooms, halved (quarter large ones)
• 1/4 c chopped parsley

Steps

1. Heat a large pot with a lid, add pancetta or bacon. Cook until golden, stirring occasionally. Remove to a small bowl with a paper towel in it to absorb excess grease.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sear in the bacon fat, browning all sides, cooking chicken in two batches. When done, remove to a plate or bowl.
3. Remove oil so about 2 tablespoons remain. Add onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add brandy and cook another 3 minutes, stirring to scrape brown bits from bottom of pan.
5. Add thyme, tomato paste and garlic. Give it a good stir.
6. Add flour. Stir and cook another 3 minutes.
7. Add chicken back to pot, skin side up and pour wine into the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 1 hour.
8. While chicken cooks, sauté pearl onions and mushrooms in butter for 15-20 minutes and season with salt and pepper. When finished, add to the pot with the chicken and gently mix in.
9. When chicken is done, add bacon or pancetta back to pot and garnish with chopped parsley.
10. Serve with a starch like mashed/roasted potatoes, egg noodles, rice or baguette and a green salad.