Coq au Vin

Like many braises and stews, this dish is often more delicious the second day – so if you have time, cook it and let it sit over night. Likewise if you think far enough in advance, the dish is immensely improved by marinating the chicken in the cooking liquid overnight. I rarely think far enough in advance to marinate anything, and it is by no means necessary. This dish is classically made with an old rooster whose time is up – what else to do with his tough, stringy old muscles but cook them low and slow? But of course I rarely have one of those lying around either, so any chicken of quality will do. It is also classically made with red wine, which stains the meat a lustrous burgundy, but it can also be made with white for quite a different effect. Try a reisling if you go with white; otherwise, select something that is not too acidic, tangy, or sweet. The flour in this case is here to thicken it ever so slightly and give it a bit of body – the final result should be thinner than, say, the consistency of gravy. Finally, you can, of course, make this with any number of chicken parts – for simplicity’s sake, I usually just do a whole chicken, broken down. The bones are essential for flavor and body, however.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 parts
• 1 750 bottle dry red wine, like a merlot or cabernet sauvignon
• 1 medium onion, cut into a large dice
• 2 carrots, cubed
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 oz thick sliced bacon, or lardons
• 2 TBS Wondra
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and quartered
• 6 oz chicken stock, or as needed
• Bouquet garni (1 bunch parsley stems, 6 sprigs thyme, 8 peppercorns, 1 bay leaf)
• 2 TBS safflower oil (or other high heat oil)
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

Trim away the excess fat from the chicken but leave the skin on. If you have the wherewithal to think in advance, put the first 5 ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

If you’ve marinated the chicken, remove it from the marinade, then drain the vegetables, reserving them and the liquid separately. Pat the chicken dry, then salt and pepper both sides. In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot, heat the oil until very hot. Add the chicken, skin-side down and do not disturb it until it is nicely browned, then flip it for about half the same amount of time. It goes without saying that every piece of chicken should have its own real estate on the bottom of the pan so it browns nicely – don’t stack them, and work in batches if you need to. When all the chicken is browned, remove it to a plate.

At this point I like to drain the fat, since chicken fat isn’t my favorite. While the pot is still very hot, add the lardons and a bit more oil, stirring so that they become browned on all sides. Add the vegetables and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the Wondra and stir to combine. Cook for another minute or so, making sure, of course, that all the Wondra has been absorbed into the fat and juices. Add the chicken on top of the vegetables and pour in the wine, adding any chicken stock necessary to just cover the chicken. Add the bouquet garni and bring to a boil, stirring gently. Cook, uncovered for roughly 1 hour at a low simmer. Stir the entire pot gently every 15 minutes or so, checking to make sure, among other things, that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan (this is highly unlikely).

You may eat the wings after about 30 minutes, since they don’t really benefit (nor suffer) from cooking any longer than this. After about an hour has gone by, remove a piece of the chicken (I find it’s easiest to experiment on the breast meat, but any piece will do). Using a fork, gently pierce and pull away at a small section on the edge. If it falls away without any resistance at all, the dish is done.

Serve while hot, or reheat the next day once the flavors have had a chance to mellow and blend. Any starch accompanies this well – crusty bread, roasted potatoes, wild rice, or even (if you must) egg noodles.