Coq au Vin for 2

I have loved Coq au Vin since freshman year of high school. Madame Freeling took us to the French Embassy in NY and there was a restaurant, attached or next door I can't remember. I do remember she was proud of all of the student who stepped out of their comfort zones to try real French dishes. There were a handful of us who went for the Coq au Vin and I was hooked.

I've ordered it on and off in places I suspected could actually make it, including Paris and a French restaurant in London. 

So, when I took my first bite of this, and it was better--YES BETTER--than the dish I had in Paris, I was floored. 

This is going into rotation. But as a treat. The original recipe at Garlic & Zest says 4 hours, and they aren't kidding! 

Alternately, if you don't have a Dutch oven (which you should, my Lodge cast iron was $50) you can do this in an Instant Pot. Follow all the directions, in a heavy saute pan, and then transfer to the IP for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken, and finish with the beurre marnier in the same saute pan. 

ENJOY! 

-----

COQ AU VIN for 2

Ingredients

- 1 bottle drinkable red wine - burgundy, beaujolais, cabernet would work well-- I used a cabernet. 

- 4 slices bacon chopped

- 4 chicken thighs excess skin and fat trimmed OR 2 bone-in, skin-on breasts, large

- 2 carrots peeled and diced 

- 1 stalk celery diced

- 1/2 yellow onion diced

- 1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms

- 1 cup button mushrooms quartered or large chunks

- 2 tablespoons tomato paste

- 1 cup chicken broth

- 5 sprigs fresh thyme

- 2 stems rosemary

- 1 cup frozen pearl onions

- kosher salt

- freshly ground black pepper

beurre marnier

- 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature 

- 1 tablespoon flour

Directions

(Buckle up... this is a lot of steps)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Pour the wine into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a moderate bubble. Cook until wine is reduced to 1 1/2 cups -- about 15 minutes. Set aside.

3.
a. Chop your bacon, veggies, your mushrooms.
b. Tie thyme and rosemary with a piece of kitchen string. Set aside.
c. Add dried porcini mushrooms to a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder. Pulse until a fine powder is formed. Set aside.

4. Set a dutch oven or heavy pot over a medium to medium low heat. Add bacon and cook until browned and crisp. With a slotted spoon transfer bacon to a dish lined with paper towels to absorb excess grease.

5. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add chicken, skin side down to the hot dutch oven. Cook 4-5 minutes until browned. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a tray. Reserve two tablespoons of grease and discard the rest. If you don't have enough, add a tbls of butter.

6. Add celery, carrot and chopped onion to the pot. Cook 3-4 minutes until slightly softened. Transfer vegetables to a small bowl. Add the white mushrooms and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

7. Add vegetables back to the pot. Add tomato paste and cook and stir until vegetables are well coated and tomato paste is fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the mushroom powder.

8. Add wine reduction and tied herbs to the vegetables. Mix. Add the chicken broth and stir to combine. Add pearl onions and salt and pepper to taste. If you'd like, add the chopped bacon.

9. Add chicken back to the pot and nestle the thighs (skin side up) into the braising liquid. Put the lid tightly on the pot and place in the oven. Cook for two hours.

10. Meanwhile, in a small bowl add the butter and flour. Using the back of a fork, mash them together to form a paste -- (this is called a beurre marnier).

11. Remove pot from the oven and place on the stove. Remove the chicken pieces and transfer them to a plate. WARNING: This chicken is super tender, fall off the bone. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim any excess grease off the top of the braising liquid.

12. Add the beurre marnier to the dutch oven over medium high heat and cook, stirring frequently until mixture thickens and creates a thinner gravy -- about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the chicken back to the pot. Let simmer about 4 to 5 minutes. 

Serve with Mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower or over noodles--but the mashed is best.