It’s still nippy out there, and I’ve made up a lovely, warming pot of Coq au Vin, a traditional French chicken stew made with a red wine soup base! Yah, you heard me! 😉
I love this meal, it has it all from a massive amount of red wine (cheeeeeeers!) to give it a beautiful depth of flavor plus, as if that wasn’t enough, there’s a nice helping of crispy bacon to add a hint of smokey flavor. Just go on, and say yes.
I must admit that this is not for the “on the go, quick and easy” dinner, it is a bit time consuming to make, but well worth every bite, and oh dear the aroma is heavenly.
Today, I made it while the kids were in school and allowed the flavors to mellow several hours before I served it up. Once my littles were home, they couldn’t wait for dinner, and must have asked every half hour if it was time to eat. Once they sat down to eat, I enjoyed a very quiet and peaceful dinner … because they were too busy eating to talk! Win for me!
Yes, this is one of those recipes that can be made the day before and will taste even better the next day. So go on and give it a try, and enjoy making yourself, friends and family a lovely French inspired dinner to seriously savour.
Need some chocolate to go with that? Try this gorgeous Flourless Chocolate Cake to finish off the meal in style!
Enjoy!
Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 10 oz thick cut Smokey Bacon diced
- 1 large whole Chicken, jointed (cut into 8 pieces)
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter divided
- 1 750 ml bottle Red Wine, such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 2 Tbsp fresh Thyme leaves plus extra for garnish if desired
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ lb Crimini Mushrooms or can use button mushrooms, quartered
- ½ lb Carrots diced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 10 oz Baby Onions can use fresh or frozen (I used Red Pearl Onions)
Instructions
- In a large casserole dish or saucepan over medium heat, add the Olive Oil and allow to get hot.
- Once heated, add the diced Bacon and cook until crispy, about 5 - 8 minutes (or until golden). Remove the Bacon and set aside.
- Pat dry the Chicken pieces with a paper towel. Season with Salt & Pepper and then sprinkle over the Flour and shake off any excess.
- Add 2 Tbsp of the Butter to the Bacon drippings and allow to melt.
- Carefully add the Chicken to the pan and fry until golden. Remove from pan and set aside. You may need to do this in batches.
- Pour in the Red Wine and deglaze the pan, scrapping the bottom of the pan to incorporate all the goodness from frying the chicken.
- Add the Chicken Broth to the Red Wine along with the minced Garlic, Bay leaves and Thyme, bring to a boil and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes or until reduced by half.
- While the Wine is cooking, in a skillet over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp of the Butter and allow to melt.
- Once the Butter is melted, add in the quartered Mushrooms and saute until golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- When the Red Wine has reduced, add the Chicken, Carrots, Onions, Mushrooms, and Bacon. Cover and cook on simmer for 45 - 60 minutes. The stew is ready when the Chicken starts to fall off the bone and when pierced the juices run clear.
- Can be cooled and kept for the next day covered in the refrigerator or served straightaway.
- Enjoy!
Notes
