Coq au Vin (first published in 2022)
Coq au Vin is probably one of the best-known French dishes. Certainly, Julia Child’s recipe for it is iconic. My recipe follows Julia’s detailed direction to a point. As a lazy cook, I was tempted with shortcuts and modern conveniences. Besides adding a marinade stage, I also selected chicken thighs. The traditional dish calls for using an entire bird cut up into pieces.
My goddaughters, Zoe and Mei, used this modified version when they recently cooked dinner for their parents at my apartment in Paris. Their big advantage, besides landing a delicious free-range, Label Rouge organic chicken at my favorite boucherie, was having access to local fresh ingredients.
A bit of Julia history. Turns out, this is the dish she made for her pilot episode in 1962 during the development of her first television cooking series, “The French Chef.” Knowing Julia, I doubt she would have been upset with the liberties I took with her original three-page recipe. However, if you’re a purist, be my guest. You can find the original version on page 263 in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1.
Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken thighs
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups full-bodied red wine such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel or Sangiovese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 thick slices of bacon, diced into ¼ inch slices (4 oz. of diced lardon or pancetta works nicely too)
4 tablespoons EVOO, more as needed
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 large red onion, peeled and diced
1 ½ to 2 cups beef stock (I cheated and used “Better than bouillon”)
¼ cup Cognac
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons softened butter (to be divided for multiple uses)
½ pound white Champignon de Paris mushrooms, halved or quartered, if large
24 frozen, peeled pearl onions, defrosted
1 tablespoon flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking instructions:
1. Season the chicken pieces then put in a large bowl. Add wine, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. Overnight is even better!
2. In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon pieces over a medium heat until golden brown. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside leaving rendered fat in the pot.
3. Remove the chicken, reserving the marinade. Dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Using the rendered bacon fat, fry the pieces of chicken slowly in batches, making sure not to crowd, for 3 to 5 minutes per side. If needed, add additional olive oil. Transfer cooked chicken onto a platter.
4. Add the chopped onion and carrot to the Dutch oven and sauté until lightly browned. Add more olive oil if needed.
5. Push vegetables to one side of the pot and remove from heat. Pour Cognac into empty side, and ignite with a match. (If you’re too nervous to ignite it, just cook the Cognac for 1 minute.) Once the flame dies down, add reserved marinade liquid and bring to a boil for several minutes. (This is important as a full boil destroys any bacteria from the raw chicken.)
6. Return the chicken pieces and bacon bits to the Dutch oven. Add any accumulated juices from frying the chicken, and just enough beef stock to cover the chicken. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Cover and simmer for an hour. Turn the pieces of chicken halfway through the cooking process. Remove lid for 15 additional minutes so liquid can thicken.
7. While the Coq au Vin is cooking, prepare your mushrooms and onions. In a skillet, melt one tablespoon of butter and sauté the mushrooms, tossing them gently for 6-7 minutes until golden brown. Set aside. Add another tablespoon of butter to the skillet and sauté the defrosted pearl onions until golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
8. Blend final tablespoon of butter with flour into a paste in a small saucer. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken pieces and vegetables into a large bowl. Add flour paste to remaining liquid in the pot stirring it thoroughly with a whisk as the sauce simmers and thickens, for about 3-5 minutes. Carefully taste sauce and adjust seasoning adding more salt or pepper as needed.
9. Return chicken to the Dutch oven along with the sauteed mushrooms and pearl onions. At this point, the Coq au Vin is fully cooked and can be cooled, covered, then refrigerated for up to two days. Or reheat everything for 4-5 minutes and serve. Serve the Coq au Vin from the Dutch oven. Accompany with parsley potatoes or egg noodles, buttered green peas, a mixed salad and of course, slices of warm, crusty baguette.
Serves: 4-6
Wine recommendation: In France, it is traditional to serve the same wine with the meal that you used to make the Coq au Vin. Because this is a simple, home-style dish, the wine does not need to be expensive—just good quality. I usually prefer a Beaujolais-Villages or a medium-bodied cru Beaujolais, such as Morgon, Chénas, or Brouilly.