Coq au Vin

“The end of the year is full of excitement. Late Christmas parties, Ugly Sweater shindigs, workplace potlucks, and New Years Eve soirees packed into the last two weeks of the year. It is enough to make even the most outgoing social butterfly want to stay home. If you’re asked to bring a dish to any of your outings and want to bring one that looks like you have trained under Jacques Pepin for years yet is super easy, you are in luck. Coq au Vin, literally translated to Rooster with Wine, is a simple dish of braised chicken legs in a sauce of rich red wine, mushrooms, bacon, and pearl onions. It is decadent, looks like you spent all day in the kitchen, but is deceivingly simple. This dish will easily serve four as an entree but can be easily expanded.” – Joe

• 4 each chicken leg quarters
• 1 each bottle red wine
• 1.5 each yellow onion
• 2 each carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

For the Sauce:

• 2 pounds mixed mushrooms
• 0.5 pound bacon
• 1 12 ounce bag frozen pearl onions
• 0.5 pound whole wheat pasta
• 1 teaspoon organic olive oil

Directions

The day prior to making the dish.

1. Combine the chicken, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and peppercorns with the red wine in a glass bowl or plastic container.

The day of making the dish.

1. Remove the chicken and pat dry. Separate the vegetables and wine, but keep both.
2. In a heavy bottomed pot, add a tablespoon of organic olive oil and sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown. Set aside.
3. Add the vegetables to the pot and cook for five-to-ten minutes.
4. Add the flour and stir to evenly coat.
5. Add the wine and chicken back into the pot and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce to a light simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for about an hour and a half.
7. In a second pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain all but one tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan.
8. Add the mushrooms to the second pan and cook down until tender.
9. Add the pearl onions to the pan.
10. Add the bacon back to the pan.
11. After the hour and a half, or the chicken has cooked, remove from the pot and strain the cooking liquid to the second pan.
12. Cook the pasta according to the instructions.
13. Plate the pasta, scoop the sauce on top, and add the chicken.