Sunday, March 02, 2008

Coq au Vin

4 slices bacon
2 chicken breasts
2 thighs
2 legs
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups pearl onions, peeled (1 sliced onion works as well)
10 oz mushrooms stemmed and quartered
2 carrots, cut in small pieces
1-2 stalks celery
1 bottle Zinfandel wine (Barefoot brand was wonderful)
2 cups chicken broth ( I might have used 4 cups, and turkey base works well)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbs rosemary
1bay leaf
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Cut up bacon into small bits, then brown on a medium high heat in a dutch oven. Remove bacon and saute the mushrooms in bacon fat, remove when they begin to shrink. Reserve bacon and mushrooms for later.

Pat chicken dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. If need be, add some butter or olive oil to the dutch oven for frying the chicken. Place the chicken skin side down and brown on one side, then turn and brown other side. This will need to be done in several batches. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate, cover with foil. Add cut vegetables(onion, carrot, celery) to the dutch oven and "sweat" in the fat from the chicken, right before the veggies are done add the garlic. When the veggies begin to brown, add the chicken with juices back to the pot. Add the whole bottle of wine, broth and herbs, reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes. 1 hr and 15 minutes would be ideal. Add the bacon and mushrooms with 30 minutes of simmering to go.

Every time I try to remove the chicken to serve it, I end up pulling it off the bone, so now I just pull all the chicken off and toss the skins and bones. Makes it very easy to eat and is more like a stew.

This is quite good over mashed potatoes, but can be served with noodles
as well.