Coq au Vin (Chicken Braised in Red Wine)

Chicken pieces browned and simmered in red wine with bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions, then finished with a glossy wine-thickened sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 oz lean bacon, cut into lardons
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 lb chicken, cut into serving pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup Cognac
• 3 cups young red wine (Burgundy or Chianti)
• 1 to 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 18 to 24 brown-braised pearl onions
• 1/2 lb sauteed mushrooms
• 3 tbsp flour mashed with 2 tbsp softened butter (beurre manie)
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Simmer the bacon in water 10 minutes, drain, and dry. Saute in butter in a heavy casserole until lightly browned; remove.
2. Dry the chicken pieces and brown them well on all sides in the hot fat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Return the bacon to the pan, cover, and cook slowly 10 minutes, turning once.
4. Pour in the Cognac and, averting your face, ignite it with a match; shake the pan until the flames subside.
5. Add the wine and enough stock to almost cover the chicken. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf.
6. Cover and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken juices run clear. Remove the chicken to a dish.
7. Add the braised onions and sauteed mushrooms. Simmer the sauce a moment, then skim off fat.
8. Off heat, whisk in the beurre manie. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce lightly coats a spoon.
9. Return the chicken, onions, and mushrooms to the sauce and baste. Garnish with parsley and serve with boiled potatoes or buttered noodles.

Notes

Adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking; she demonstrated it memorably on The French Chef.