I have made Coq au Vin more times than I can remember. It’s such a composed dish with tremendous, historical merit. For the most part, I diligently stay true to the classics, however in this recipe I’m imparting a fresh, new twist on an old faithful.
The precise origins of Coq au Vin (rooster in wine) are a bit nebulous but man has been braising poultry in red wine since ancient times. It’s very similar to Boeuf Bourguignon and it achieved even more notoriety when it was introduced to the American public by the revered Julia Child, undoubtedly the doyenne of French cuisine, in 1963 on her acclaimed TV show The French Chef.
La cuisine Française has acquired a bad rep because of the overly rich and slightly overbearing sauces. Let’s face it, any recipe that is dominated by loads of butter, is going to taste lame without it.
The chicken in Coq au Vin is slowly braised in wine and it incorporates, lardons (large chunks of bacon) Cognac (or Armagnac) after it has had a thorough drenching in the wine for a few hours – preferably overnight. In most cases a rooster was used instead of a young hen, hence the need to marinate to tenderize the meat. Today, acquiring a rooster would present for a slight challenge, so stick to chicken!
This is my spin on Coq au Vin or Boeuf Bourguignon. I have substituted the bacon lardons for pancetta and the pearl onions for Cipollinis. And for the piece de résistance which may sound a bit unorthodox – I am NOT using red in this recipe. A dry Riesling is preferred here.
I’ve resorted in making this dish the day before – refrigerated it and after skimming off a bit of the top fat, reheated it gently. It’s better by far the next day, however, many rumbling stomachs are at times unwilling to wait the for day after the cooking. The subtle undertone dispersed by the fennel will make you want to mop every last drop of this majestic sauce with a crusty baguette. Even the dog will be disappointed because he wasn’t allowed to lick the plate.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST COQ AU VIN
Cut the meat in pieces so the have uniformity
Use ALL wine and NO stock
Marinate the chicken in the wine overnight with the herbs and spices
Star anise enhances the meaty flavoring
Make the day ahead for enhanced flavor
8 bone-in chicken thighs – skin removed and fat trimmed
A thick slice of pancetta cut into medium sized cubes so they don’t disappear while cooking
10-12 whole Cipollini onions – soaked for a few minutes in boiling water to remove their skins and dunked in an ice bath
2 medium carrots – sliced into ½ inch slices
2 medium parsnips – sliced also into ½ inch slices
6 garlic cloves – slightly smashed and unpeeled
½ head of fennel – sliced and trimmed
2 fresh bay leaves – or 3 dried leaves
1 bottle of Riesling wine
¼ cup of Cognac
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 star anise
1 TBSP lemon zest
1 package of classic chicken demi glaze
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 cups of Baby Bella mushrooms – left whole if small or cut in half if larger
2 TBSP of unsalted butter
Marinate the chicken pieces overnight in the wine, with the star anise, some peppercorns, the bay leaves and the thyme.
Remove the chicken from the wine (reserving it) pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 TBSP of olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Brown the chicken 4/5 minutes per side. Remove to a platter. Add the pancetta to the pot when lightly brown, add the cognac and carefully ignite. Allow the flames to die and remove the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the Cipollini onions, scrapping any brown bits – continue by adding the carrots, fennel, parsnips and garlic cloves and sauté for about 10 minutes to obtain some color in the veggies. Add the demi glace and the reserved wine with the herbs and spices, ensuring you are scrapping all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot and nestle it snuggly in the wine.
Braise the chicken for about an 1 to 1 1/2 hours, half covered; you want the chicken very tender. Half way through the braising turn over the chicken pieces and add the mushrooms. Make a slurry with some corn starch and ¼ cup of cold water. Remove the chicken to a plate and add lemon zest to the pot along with the slurry to thicken the sauce and cook about 5-6 minutes to thicken. Incorporate the butter and adjust seasonings before returning the chicken to the pan. Finish with chopped parsley before serving.
NOTE
The garniture of parsnips throws a lovely carroty flavor and the Cipollini onions impart tremendous sweetness; coupled with the velvety and earthy flavor of the mushrooms and the Cognac it delivers tremendous complexity to this dish. Typically a beurre manie is used to thicken sauces in French cuisine, but in this case I didn’t want the flour to dull the velvety quality of the sauce.
