Coq au Vin

This past weekend we got not only a first real taste of fall but a sneak peak at winter! With lows in the 20s and highs in the low 40s, it was the perfect slow cooking kind of Saturday. I decided to try Coq au Vin for the second time. The first attempt, two years or so ago, was not necessarily a huge success, nor was it terrible. I'm thrilled to say that this last go-round was quite delicious. Coq au Vin (translated simply to "chicken in wine") is typically prepared using bone-in chicken pieces however I read a Cook's Illustrated version of the recipe using boneless chicken thighs that looked intriguing. I liked this concept 1) because it reduces the cooking time substantially and 2) requires less fuss as far as picking chicken off the bones while eating it. I actually ended up fusing the Cook's Illustrated recipe with Ina Garten's recipe found in the "Back to Basics" cookbook. Again, I'll toot my own horn to say that it was a pretty stellar combination. This method does have a number of steps but I assure you the effort is worth it. Ingredients: (serves 4) 4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch slices 1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (approx 1.3 pounds total) 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced thinly 3 cloves of garlic, minced 4 medium-large carrots, sliced

1 package of cremini/baby bella mushrooms, sliced 12 pearl onions- roughly 1/4 of a bunch of parsley 3 sprigs of fresh thyme 1/4 cup of brandy or cognac 1 and 1/2 cups of chicken stock 2/3 of a bottle of full bodied red wine 1 tablespoon of flour

3-4 tablespoons of butter Combine the red wine and chicken stock in sauce pan. Add half of the parsley and the thyme sprigs to the pan, stems and all, and cook the mixture over medium-high heat for approximately 25 minutes or until reduced to roughly 2 cups. Meanwhile, in a large heavy bottomed dutch oven, render the bacon in a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat until the bacon is crisp (7-8 minutes). Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat, discard the rest. Next, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and brown them in the bacon fat over medium high heat, approximately two minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate. At this point, I removed a little bit of the fat remaining in the pan before adding the mushrooms and pearl onions. (I left just enough to coat the bottom of the pot.) Sautee the veggies for 6 or 7 minutes (don't stir too often or they won't brown) until they are just turning golden. Add the cognac and ignite it with a long stemmed lighter, letting the flame burn off the alcohol. (If you're not one for the dramatic effect, you can simply let it reduce down over the heat.) Season the veggies with a pinch of salt and pepper and then transfer them to a bowl on the side.

Melt one tablespoon of butter in the hot pan and add the sliced onions and carrots. Cook these veggies for another 5-6 minutes until they are barely tender, adding the minced garlic in to cook for the last minute. (I promise these steps go pretty fast... by the time you're done with the browning/sauteeing of each layer, your wine/stock has reduced and you're ready to go. Not to mention you have the remainder of the bottle of red wine to keep you company.) Strain the parsley and thyme stems from the wine/stock mixture and then pour it into the larger pot with the carrots and onions. Add the chicken thighs back in and let it all simmer together over medium low heat (with a lid on the pot) for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is fall-apart-tender. The last step... you're almost there. Mix the tablespoon of flour together with a tablespoon or so of water or stock in a small bowl. As soon as the mixture is lump free, pour it into the pot and stir until it is incorporated. This should thicken the sauce as you cook the mixture for a few minutes more. Lastly, add the mushrooms and onions back in along with another tablespoon or two of butter to give the sauce a silky sheen and toss in some freshly chopped parsley.

I served the chicken (with a generous drink of the sauce) over buttered egg noodles with a large slice of french bread and a green salad on the side. (I threw a few of the crispy bacon bits over the top as well.) The chicken thighs were melt in your mouth tender and the sauce was perfectly rich and savory. A ten on the yummy-scale and certainly worth every ounce of the effort.