"Like to cook" - the second helping

[Bob Schroeck]

Here's a little something I made this weekend.  I'm posting this because it came out very well and I wanted to share.

Coq au Vin

Prep Time 20 minutes, Cook Time 1.5 hours, Servings 4
(Take this with a grain of salt.  I took longer than 20 minutes in the prep phase, and because I chose to use boneless breasts instead of a whole chicken, I'm expecting to get six servings at least.)

Ingredients

Chicken marinade
3.5-pound chicken cut into 8 pieces (as I noted above, I used boneless breasts instead of a whole chicken; if you do the same you don't need to cut them smaller than they came in the package)
3 carrots peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 onion peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic smashed
3 sprigs thyme
1 bottle of red wine

Garnishes
4 ounces slab bacon diced (you can use sliced bacon, but you won't get the same mouthfeel at the end)
1 pound button or cremini mushrooms carefully cleaned and trimmed (don't soak them in water to clean them, though; they'll absorb the water and make the sauce thinner when they release it); small mushrooms can be used whole, but halve or quarter big ones
2 cups chicken stock
16 pearl or cipollini onions, peeled
salt and pepper

Braising the chicken
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon flour

Instructions:

Place the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and thyme in a large bowl. Pour over the wine, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.  I used an inexpensive Bordeaux, but a burgundy or a Cabernet sauvignon would work well, too.

Place the bacon into a cold skillet over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and a fair amount of the fat has been rendered out.  This can take a while; you don't want to burn the fat, just collect it. 

Once you've browned the bacon nicely and have a fair amount of fat in the pan, then transfer the bacon to a plate using a slotted spoon.  Add the mushrooms to the fat in the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. If you need more fat, add 1 tablespoon of butter. Transfer the mushrooms to the plate with the bacon.

In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Add the pearl onions, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the tip of a paring knife easily pierces the onions, about 20 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to the plate with the bacon and mushrooms. Reserve the stock.

(You may want to simmer the mushrooms at the same time you brown and render the bacon -- they'll take at least the same amount of time and the bacon might even take longer if you're using actual slab bacon and not chopped up slices.)

Remove the chicken from the marinade.  Pat dry with paper towels and make sure no bits of vegetables are on it.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  (It's going to be purple. Don't worry.)

Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain the marinade into the bowl; discard the vegetables.

Heat the butter and the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until bubbly and very hot. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. (If you have a very hot burner, this can take less time.) Remove the chicken to a plate and sprinkle the flour into the pot.  Stir and cook to make a roux; if you want, you can add a splash of cognac or brandy as you do.  Whisk in the reserved stock and marinade and bring to a rapid boil.  Add one bay leaf and a couple more sprigs of thyme.

Add the chicken to the pot, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, turning once, for 20 minutes. Add the bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is fully cooked, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

If you want a thicker gravy, transfer the chicken and garnishes to a plate (and keep warm), and boil the liquid for about 15 minutes or until reduced in volume, but don't reduce it to more than half its original volume.  Then return everything to the sauce.

Serve with mashed potatoes, a potato gratin or buttered egg noodles, along with a big green salad and a great bottle of wine!