This classic French dish makes a wonderful dinner party main course. Lardons, or their more available substitutes, unsmoked bacon or pancetta are cooked, and the rendered fat used for browning the other ingredients, and (with the addition of the flour) to form the roux which thickens the sauce. Generally, a full bottle of red wine is used, and brandy may be added.
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients:
- 1 (3 lb, or 1.5 kg) chicken, cut up
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 3 tbsp flour (wheat, rice)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 lb (200 g) small mushrooms (optional)
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp basil, chopped and fresh
Directions:
- Mix flour, salt and pepper. Coat chicken, onion and carrot in flour mixture and set aside.
- Sauté mushrooms, set aside.
- Brown the chicken pieces a few at a time, set aside.
- Brown onions and carrots. Put chicken into large casserole on medium-high heat along with onions, carrots and mushrooms.
- Combine wine, garlic, and basil; pour over chicken. Cover the casserole, cook until chicken is ready (1-1.5 hours), stirring occasionally.
Variations:
- Nearly all recipes other than those altered for low-fat diets start with lardons, or their more available substitutes, unsmoked bacon or pancetta.
- The lardons are cooked, and the rendered fat used for browning the other ingredients, and (with the addition of the flour) to form the roux which thickens the sauce.
- Generally, a full bottle of red wine is used, and brandy may be added.
- More traditional versions of coq au vin have the sauce thickened with rooster blood at the end of cooking.
- Porcini mushrooms, while not particularly authentic, are good in this dish.
Recipe by kind permission of BonjourLaFrance