A Beautiful Mosaic

What do you cook when it’s raining, 50 degrees outside (in mid May) and you have these two items on the counter?

The answer is coq au vin, bien sûr.  I just cannot bring myself to cook it the traditional way by using an entire bottle of wine, but I think this recipe still results in a rich full flavor.  And you can still have a couple glasses to drink with your delicious dinner.

Coq au Vin

6 slices of chopped bacon

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 C. plus 3 Tbs. flour

4 chicken leg quarters, excess skin and fat trimmed (or small whole chicken cut up)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, sliced

2 medium onions, quartered

10 oz. button mushrooms, quartered

2 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped

1 bay leaf

2 C. dry red wine (Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, French burgundy)

2 C. chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbs. butter for rue

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook chopped bacon in dutch oven until crisp, about 4-5 minutes. 

 (shhh…. don’t tell my husband there’s bacon in this dish.  Hey, the red wine makes it heart-healthy!)

Transfer bacon to paper-towel lined plate and drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat out of pot.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pot and heat on medium high.  Coat chicken with flour and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Working in batches, sear chicken until brown, about 4-5 minutes per side.  Transfer to plate.

 Add garlic to pot and saute for about a minute.  Then add onions, mushrooms, carrots and thyme until onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add red wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits.  Add chicken stock, bay leaf, and bacon and boil about 5 minute more.  Place chicken back in the pot, cover and bake for about 1 1/4 hours.

Optional:  If you like your sauce thicker, make a rue (heating 2 Tbs. butter and 3 Tbs. flour) in small saucepan.  After chicken is cooked, transfer wine sauce into the saucepan with the rue, bringing to a boil, whisking until thickened.  Season with salt and pepper and pour over chicken and vegetables.

Serve with mashed potatoes, egg noodles or a crusty bread.  And of course, your left-over wine (Bearboat Pinot Noir 2005).