Recipes

Coq au Vin (Chicken in Wine Sauce)

  • Serves

    serves 4-6

MAXIME IATTONI

This winey chicken braise dotted with pearl onions and button mushrooms is the first French dish many cooks outside France make, and no wonder: It's as simple to prepare as it is elegant to serve.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups red wine
  • 1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 1 bouquet garni (12 sprigs thyme, 5 sprigs parsley, and 3 bay leaves tied together with kitchen twine)
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 10 oz. peeled pearl onions
  • 12 oz. white button mushrooms, quartered
  • 10 oz. bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 (3-4-lb.) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  • 2 tbsp. flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Finely chopped parsley leaves, to garnish

Instructions

Step 1

Combine wine, chicken, yellow onion, and bouquet garni in a bowl; cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain chicken, onions, and bouquet garni, reserving wine, and set aside. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels.

Step 2

Heat oil in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pearl onions, and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and tender, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add mushrooms to pot, and cook, stirring, until they release all their moisture and brown lightly, about 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl with pearl onions; set aside. Add bacon to pot, and cook, stirring, until it renders its fat and is crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain; set aside. Add 1 tbsp. butter to pot, and then season chicken with salt and pepper, and add to pot; cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate, and set aside. Add drained yellow onions to pot, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in reserved wine and stock, and then return chicken to pot along with bouquet garni; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender, about 15 minutes.

Step 3

Remove from heat, and stir in pearl onions and mushrooms. Divide among serving bowls, and garnish with rendered bacon and parsley.

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