Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin is quite simply chicken in wine and is a classic French country dish.  It is chicken sauteed with some aromatics and covered in a fruity red wine and allowed to cook until just about falling off the bone.  Because the bird is cooked in red wine which is delicious, it does tend to give the entire dish a unique color.  I used a recipe I found based on Mark Bittman's Food Matters project which included more vegetables than traditionally used and a little less chicken.  Since it contained eggplant, shallots, mushrooms and green beans, I served it simply as a stew with no other accompaniments.

Coq au Vin
Makes 3-4 servings

2 medium eggplants
2 tablespoons salt
4-6 strips of bacon, chopped
6 chicken drumsticks, bone-in and skin on
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 large shallots, chopped
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
8 ounces button mushrooms, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups fruity red wine
3 bay leaves
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon pepper

Cut the eggplants into 1/2-inch thick disks and sprinkle both sides with salt.  Allow the eggplant slices to rest for 20 minutes on paper towels and then cut into smaller pieces (either quarters or eighths).

Cook the chopped bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the bacon renders the fat and crisps up.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels to drain.  Season the chicken drumsticks with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in the hot bacon fat.  Once browned on all sides, remove and set aside.

Add olive oil to the pot and saute the shallots, eggplant and mushrooms, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown.  When the vegetables are beginning to soften, stir in the garlic.  Once the veg mixture is golden brown, add the stock, wine, bay leaves, green beans and herbs.  Add the chicken and bacon back to the pot.  Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add butter to the liquid.  Allow it to cook until it is reduced by half and becomes saucy and thick.  Sprinkle in pepper and adjust seasoning as desired.



Sightly adapted from Fifth Floor Kitchen

Our rating:

1/2