Coq au Vin

(52)
Servings:
6

Coq au vin, a rich chicken stew made with red wine and a touch of Cognac, is a classic French recipe for good reason. The result is a luxuriously rich, velvety sauce punctuated by bacon and mushrooms. Our streamlined version of this crowd-pleasing dish uses chicken legs and thighs rather than a whole chicken. It takes about an hour to cook, but allow time to marinate the chicken in the red wine overnight.

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs

  • 4 chicken legs

  • 2 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon

  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 8 ounces slab bacon, cut into ½-inch dice

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, if needed

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped

  • 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 10 white pearl onions, peeled

  • ½ pound small cremini mushrooms

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 2 tablespoons Cognac

  • 1 chicken liver, coarsely chopped

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 5 fresh thyme sprigs

Directions

  1. Place chicken in a large bowl, and add wine. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove chicken from wine, and pat dry; reserve wine. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

  3. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat until crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate, leaving drippings in pot. (You should have 3 tablespoons; you may need to add oil.)

  4. Raise heat to medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken, flipping once, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add onion to pot, and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Add pearl onions and mushrooms, and cook until brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste, and cook 2 minutes. Add Cognac, and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

  5. Return bacon and chicken to pot. Pour in reserved wine, and add chicken liver and herbs. Bring to a simmer. Cover, and place in oven until chicken has cooked through and vegetables are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Discard herbs, and skim fat from surface.

     coq au vin with serving spoon
    Yunhee Kim
Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, October 2007

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