Coq Au Vin

Since buying our dutch oven, we've been on a mission to cook dishes that involve its use. Last week we tried a combination/simplified version of Julia Child and Jacques Pepin's Beef Bourguignoin which turned out great (may be because we finished it with the left over wine). We didn't use tomato paste which is Child's special touch nor did we incorporate a Beurre Manie that Pepin and pretty much anyone French would've done. Starting simple was definitely our goal considering this was our first attempt on tackling this dish. On Saturday we made Coq Au Vin, another red wine dish but with "Coq" (chicken,  well technically rooster) in stead of Beouf. This time we dedicated to the recipe whole-heartedly. You can check out the recipe we used below from The Official Hungry. I would change the cooking time a bit. Their's instructed to cook it a bit longer with the lid off for browning which turned out to be more blackening. Delicious nonetheless, just not as visually appealing as we would've liked in the end.

I love, love, love how the dutch oven browns the chicken!

As you can see, we changed up the wine from its traditional Burgundy to a Bordeaux. Definitely complemented the dish well, most especially as a drink. In the closing words of Martha Stewart, "It's a Good Thing". 

Ingredients:


Extra virgin olive oil

Butter, room temperature

¼ lb pancetta, diced

3-4 lbs chicken thighs

Salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

2 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

1 yellow onion, sliced

6 cloves garlic, smashed 

½ lb mushrooms, quartered

1/2 bottle dry red wine 

1 cup chicken stock

1 bunch fresh thyme
1-2 tbsp flour 

Fresh parsley, chopped



Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. In the Dutch oven, brown the chicken in batches in a single layer until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.

Add the carrots and onions to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine to deglaze all the crispy brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then add the chicken stock, thyme, bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Make a Beurre Manie by mashing 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of flour together to form a paste. Remove the chicken from the pot. Place the Dutch oven over medium heat and stir the Beurre Manie into the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes. If you would like a thicker consistency, add another tablespoon of butter and flour. Taste and season if necessary.

To finish the dish, add the vegetables and sauce to the chicken on the platter and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

We also picked up a dragon fruit from the market. I've never tried it before. Amado recalls it tasting like kiwi but it's a bit on the milky side. The flavor is very mild and hard to pin point. Not really sure if theres a difference between the purple ones compared to the one (white) I bought.