Coq au vin

Coq au vin © kvalifood.com

Coq au vin is the French classic where chicken is slowly braised in red wine with bacon, shallots and mushrooms. The dish originates from the French countryside but has long had a firm place in the Danish repertoire. It requires patience, but the result is tender, juicy meat in a deep, rich red wine sauce.

Ingredients

Serves 4–6

  • 1 chicken, about 1½ kg, cut into 8 pieces
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 4 slices fresh pork belly (boiling bacon), cut into small cubes
  • 12 shallots, peeled
  • 250 g mushrooms, quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf)
  • 400 ml red wine
  • stock, if needed, to taste
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Serves 4–6 — to serve:

  • bread (baguette) or mashed potato

Directions

Brown the chicken

Mix flour with salt and pepper. Toss the chicken pieces in the flour mixture. Fry the pork cubes in a heavy-bottomed pot until the fat has rendered and the cubes are crispy. Remove them. Brown the chicken pieces in the pork fat on all sides. Remove them.

Build the sauce

Brown the shallots in the pot. Return the chicken pieces and pork along with the garlic, bouquet garni and red wine. The wine should almost cover the meat — add a little stock if needed.

Simmer

Put the lid on and lower the heat. Let the dish simmer gently for 30–45 minutes until the meat is tender. Turn the meat regularly. Remove the bouquet garni 8 minutes before the dish is ready and add the mushrooms. Add a little more wine or stock if necessary.

Serving

Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve with bread or mashed potato.

Notes

  • Use a light red wine such as Pinot Noir, Gamay or Spätburgunder. Avoid heavy, sun-ripened wines — they can make the sauce bitter.
  • The chicken pieces can be flambéed with 4 tbsp cognac after browning for extra depth. The meat and fat must be very hot, otherwise the cognac will not ignite.
  • The dish can also be made with white wine instead of red — this gives a lighter version.
  • Marinating the chicken in the red wine overnight adds even more flavour, but is not necessary.
  • Coq au vin tastes even better the next day, once the flavours have had time to develop.
  • Suitable for freezing for up to 3 months.