How to Cook Coq au Vin

Serves: 6

Ingredients needed to make Coq au Vin:

• 6-8 pieces medium sized chicken, with bones
• ¾ lb white button mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 20 pearl onions, peeled
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 bouquet garni (herbs like parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, tarragon and bay leaves bundled and tied together with a string)
• ½ bottle dry red wine with a bold taste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 + 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for Coq au Vin:

• Drizzle olive oil in a large saucepan and add a tbsp of butter to it.
• Heat them over moderate heat until the butter is melted and throw in the onions.
• Saute them over moderate heat for about 7 minutes or until they soften and begins to turn translucent.
• Stir in the chicken pieces and cook them, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until they are browned on either side. You can brown the chicken in batches.
• Season the chicken with a dash of salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
• Stir in the crushed garlic and place the bouquet garni at the center of the mixture.
• Add a splash of red wine, followed by a cup of chicken broth and cover it with a lid.
• Lower the heat and simmer the french stew for an hour.
• Meanwhile, melt rest of the butter in a skillet over slow flame and throw in the mushrooms.
• Saute them, while stirring at times, for about 10 minutes or until they are properly browned.
• Stir the browned mushrooms into the simmering mixture, and continue to cook for another 20-25 minutes.
• Pour few tbsp of the simmering stew into a small bowl and stir in the flour until they form a smooth mixture, free of lumps.
• Return this mixture into the Coq au Vin, about 10 minutes before the cooking time is over, and stir them all together to mix thoroughly.
• Simmer the mixture until it thickens to your desired consistency and remove from heat.
• Discard the bouquet garni and pour it into serving bowls.
• Serve right away with crusty French bread.
• You can also make this dish in a slow cooker. Simply add the browned chicken as well as onions into a crock pot, along with rest of the ingredients and slow cook for about 8 hours on low.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on December 13, 2012 by