Coq-au-vin

The first time I had coq-au-vin was at a little restaurant in Paris that was across from the Hard-Rock cafe, and I had been enjoying it since. Been making this dish every so often, and had tried various recipes. Just found this recipe, and I used chicken thighs and drumsticks for this dish instead of the chicken breasts that was called for below. This is a tasty recipe, orginally from a cooking magazine.

Fairly easy to make, and the brandy was a nice addition to the dish. Just be careful as the flame may get a little out of control. I substituted the fresh tomatoes for 1/2 c. of organic diced tomatoes, added carrots, and increased the garlic quantity. Almost all of the alcohol were cooked off the dish when the sauce was reduced by half, but the flavor remained and it was wonderful with some warm, crusty french bread.

Recipe by D. Baker

1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 cup diced bacon
2 bone-in chicken breasts and 2 legs (2 to 2-1/2 lb. total), trimmed of excess fat
1/3 cup brandy
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups homemade chicken stock
3 cups trimmed, quartered button mushrooms
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the beurre manié:
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the butter and oil. Add the bacon and sauté until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the chicken to the hot pan and brown on all sides. Pour off the fat from the pan into a heatproof container and reserve.

Pour the brandy over the chicken in the pan. The brandy should flame; if it doesn’t, hold a lit match over the pan. When the flames die out, scrape up the browned bits and add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, tomato, wine, stock, and bacon. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the chicken feels firm and its juices run clear when pierced, about 30 min. Remove the chicken from the pan, reserving the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the reserved bacon fat. Sauté the mushrooms until lightly browned, about 10 min. Set aside.

Make the beurre manié—With a fork or in a food processor, cream the butter. Add the flour to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

Bring the liquid in the pan to a simmer and skim the surface. Continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Whisk in the beurre manié 1 Tbs. at a time until the liquid is the consistency of light cream (you may not need all the beurre manié). Add the mushrooms and simmer for 5 min. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. To serve, ladle the sauce over the chicken.

Recipe from fine cooking