Coq Au-what? Coq Au Vin is a French dish whose name literally translates to “Rooster in Wine”. This dish came about in France when the rooster had stopped crowing and fertilizing eggs, and thus it was his time to go! They cooked him up in wine (which made the meat tender) and this delicious dish was born. This dish has no specific known time origins, but it was first noted in a French cookbook in the mid 1800’s. Julia Childs adapted her own version which is what you will find below.

This recipe is also versatile, because – depending on whether you like the taste of wine stronger in your food, of non-existent – you can alter the cooking time and the flavor changes quite a bit! Steven and I personally don’t like the taste of alcohol, so we make sure to really cook this broth down.

The recipe seems a little intimidating at first, especially because there can be flames, but it is really fun and rewarding to make! The pearl onions and amazing red wine sauce just make this dish melt in your mouth. It is so good!

I hope you give it a shot =)

JULIA CHILD’S “COQ AU VIN”

INGREDIENTS

½ cup lardons (or very thinly sliced bacon)

2+ tablespoons olive oil

3 ½ - 4 ½ lbs chicken, in parts (I like using leg quarters)

¼ cup cognac

Salt & pepper

1 bay leaf

1.4 teaspoon thyme

20 pearl onions, peeled

3 tablespoons flour

2+ cups chicken stock

1 ¾ cups red wine (preferable pinot noir or burgundy)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups carrots

¾ lb mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus ¼ cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Toss lardons (or bacon) into the bottom of a large Dutch oven, along with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat, until browned. Transfer lardons to a bowl, leave drippings in pot. Sauté onions, carrots, and mushrooms over medium heat in the lardon grease for 5-10 minutes or until they look somewhat tender. Remove from pot and place in a bowl.

2. Brown chicken in remaining drippings, turning frequently to prevent burning. Work in batches, as to not crowd the chicken. Return all chicken to the pot and pour in the cognac. Immediately light and hold a match to the vapors coming from the pot. They will ignite and look really cool, while burning off the alcohol. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add bay leaf and thyme, and nestle the veggies around the chicken. Cover and let SIMMER for 10 minutes, turning chicken pieces once halfway through.

3. Uncover pot and sprinkle flour on the chicken. Turn chicken so flour is absorbed by the sauce. Cook covered, turning once or twice, for 3-4 minutes more. Remove from heat and swirl in wine and enough stock to nearly cover the chicken. Add bacon, garlic, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes more.

4. Check chicken for doneness, and then remove from pot. Bring liquid to a soft boil. Mix together cornstarch and cold water in a bowl, and add to liquid. Stir for a few moments until thicker. Reduce heat to simmer and continue tasting until desired flavor (until enough alcohol from the wine burns off for you). Add salt and pepper, if needed.

5. Place chicken over a heaping pile of mashed potatoes and pour sauce and veggies over the top.

Enjoy!

PRINTABLE VERSION

#chicken #wine #cognac #dinner #potatoes