Coq au Vin
Coq au vin is one of those French dishes that’s so French, I generally think that I’m not going to like it. Maybe it’s my general aversion to slow-cooked chicken and “wine-y” food, but chances are I’ll prefer my meat flash-cooked in a wok. Still, that shiny new French oven was begging to braise something, and the accompanying insert in the box was right there on the counter.
There were lots of coq au vin variations, and we chose Paul Bocuse not because of that charming smile, but rather there was no call to light anything on fire. Sorry, Julia Child, Hubert Keller, and all the rest of you. I’m not brave enough for that on the first go. The results? Good, but not great. Maybe it was the fatty chicken, maybe I should’ve used Burgundy as recommended instead of the Cabernet that gave us blueberry-colored meat, and maybe I should learn to love slow-cooked chicken. We’ll see. It’s worth another try later in the year.
Coq Au Vin, adapted from Paul Bocuse’ recipe provided by Staub
1 roasting chicken, cut in to 10 pieces (4 breast halves, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings)
1 bottle dry red wine (Burgundy recommended)
1 onion
1 carrot
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Pinch of thyme
1 bay leaf
Pinch of peppercorns
1 T vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
Garnish
8 oz. bacon
8 oz. button mushrooms
4 oz. pearl onions
parsley
1 T butter
Marinate chicken overnight in red wine, sliced rounds of onion and carrot, and the herbs and spices.
Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry.
Sear chicken in the dutch oven with vegetable oil, browning it equally on all sides. Remove the vegetables from the marinade and brown them with the garlic in the dutch oven with the chicken. Moisten with the reserved marinade and add salt. Stir, bring to a boil, and then cover and let it simmer for 1 – 2h, depending on the chicken.
Fry the bacon, onions, and mushrooms in the butter in a frying pan until golden. Add them to the casserole immediately before serving with fresh parsley.
