Chicken In Red Wine With Onions, Mushrooms And Bacon: Coq Au Vin
Serves: 5
Jolie Turcotte
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
52
Spice
25
Sweetness
53
Sourness
38
mins
Prep time (avg)
5.5
Difficulty
Ingredients:
2 tbsps
Unsalted Butter1
Salt1 cup
Cognac1 tbsp
Tomato Paste2 cloves
Garlic (mashed)1 tsp
Thyme Leaves1
Bay Leaf3 tbsps
All-Purpose Flour2 tbsps
Butter1 tbsp
Oil2 tbsps
Shallot (minced)Directions:
1
Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles 1/4-inch across and 1-inch long)
2
Simmer for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water
3
Rinse in cold water
4
Dry
5
In a heavy large heavy bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, saute the bacon slowly in hot butter until it is very lightly browned (temperature of 260 degrees F for an electric skillet)
6
Remove to a side dish
7
Dry the chicken thoroughly
8
Brown it in the hot fat in the casserole
9
(360 degrees F for the electric skillet
10
) Season the chicken with salt and pepper
11
Return the bacon to the casserole with the chicken
12
Cover and cook slowly (300 degrees F) for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once
13
Uncover, and pour in the cognac
14
Averting your face, ignite the cognac with a lighted match
15
Shake the casserole back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside
16
Pour the wine into the casserole
17
Add just enough stock or bouillon to cover the chicken
18
Stir in the tomato paste, garlic and herbs
19
Bring to a simmer
20
Cover and simmer slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork
21
Remove the chicken to a side dish
22
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms
23
Simmer the chicken cooking liquid in the casserole for 1 to 2 minutes, skimming off fat
24
Then raise the heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 1/4 cups
25
Correct seasoning
26
Remove from heat, and discard bay leaf
27
Blend the butter and flour together into a smooth paste (beurre manie)
28
Beat the paste into the hot liquid with a wire whip
29
Bring to the simmer, stirring and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes
30
The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly
31
Arrange the chicken in a casserole, place the mushrooms and onions around it and baste with the sauce
32
If the dish is not to be served immediately, film the top of the sauce with stock or dot with small pieces of butter
33
Set aside uncovered for no longer than 1 hour or cool, cover and refrigerate until needed
34
Shortly before serving, bring the casserole to a simmer, basting the chicken with the sauce
35
Cover and simmer slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is heated through
36
Serve from the casserole, or arrange on a hot platter
37
Decorate with sprigs of parsley
38
When the butter and oil are bubbling in the skillet, add the onions and saute over moderate heat for 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible
39
Be careful not to break their skins
40
You cannot expect to brown them uniformly
41
Braise them as follows: Pour in the stock, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet
42
Cover and simmer slowly for 15 to 20 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated
43
Remove herb bouquet
44
Serve them as they are
45
Bake them as follows: Transfer the onions and their sauteing fat to a shallow baking dish or casserole just large enough to hold them in 1 layer
46
Set uncovered in upper third of a preheated 350 degree F oven for 40 to 50 minutes, turning them over once or twice
47
They should be very tender, retain their shape and be a nice golden brown
48
Remove herb bouquet
49
Serve them as they are
50
Place the skillet over high heat with the butter and oil
51
As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms
52
Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes
53
During their saute the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat
54
In 2 to 3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will begin to brown
55
As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat
56
Toss the shallots or green onions, if using, with the mushrooms
57
Saute over moderate heat for 2 minutes
58
Sauteed mushrooms may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed
59
Season to taste just before serving