Coq au Vin
Chicken French Meat Dishes Mushrooms
I finally have the opportunity to share my version of coq au vin: a delicious red wine sauce with mushrooms and bacon alongside chicken legs braised in sauce, then roasted until crispy. I served them over a soft bed of polenta.
Before you begin, I want to highlight two important aspects: use a medium-bodied wine that's not overly tannic or heavily oaked (a Pinot Noir is perfect), and the bacon shouldn't be heavily smoked. With these tips in mind, and knowing you can use chicken instead of rooster, you're ready for the best coq au vin.
Ingredients
4 whole rooster (or chicken) legs
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
150ml dry red wine (Pinot Noir)
200ml chicken stock
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons flour
salt, black pepper
For the Sauce
40 pearl onions (small onions)
150g bacon (unsmoked or very lightly smoked)
250g mushrooms
1 teaspoon porcini powder
1 tablespoon butter
Servings: 4
How to prepare coq au vin
- Start with the pearl onions: roast them in the oven at 200°C for 10-15 minutes until soft. Cut one end and squeeze from the other end to pop the onion out of its skin. Set aside until needed.
- Season the washed and dried chicken legs with salt and black pepper. Dredge them in flour and shake off the excess.
- In a large skillet, fry the chicken legs in hot oil on both sides until lightly browned. Transfer to an oven-safe dish that fits them snugly (the dish shouldn't be too large).
- In the fat remaining in the skillet, add the chopped onion and sauté until softened. Add the crushed garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Deglaze with wine, add the stock and balsamic vinegar. Add the spices (bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, cloves) and bring to a boil. Pour this hot sauce over the chicken legs.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil (make sure it's well sealed so the liquid doesn't evaporate).
- Roast at 150°C for about 1 hour. Remove the dish and test the chicken with a fork (it should pierce easily). If not done (depending on how old the chicken is), cover again and continue cooking until the meat is tender.
- While the meat is cooking, fry the bacon until it releases its fat. Add the mushrooms with stems removed, sliced, and sauté until they start releasing their juices (about 2 minutes). Add the roasted pearl onions and porcini powder. Mix well and sauté for another minute. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Transfer the chicken legs to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the sauce from the dish.
- Pour the strained sauce into the skillet used for the bacon and mushrooms. Simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and cook until completely melted. Add the bacon-mushroom-pearl onion mixture. Cook together for another minute.
- Place the chicken legs in the oven and broil at maximum heat until the skin becomes golden and crispy.
- To serve, place the garnish on the plate, pour the sauce over it, and top with a crispy chicken leg.
Frying the chicken legs
Sauce in the skillet
Chicken legs and sauce in the pan
Frying the bacon
Frying the mushrooms
The chicken legs are done
Strained sauce
Reduced sauce
The sauce is ready