Coq au Vin
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 14, 2011
Time
2¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 pounds chicken legs (about 4 legs), carefully trimmed of all fat, cleaned, dried, and thighs and drumsticks separatedSalt and ground black pepper 1 bottle red wine (750ML), fruity, smooth, medium-bodied, such as Oregon Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or a light Rhone valley wine2 ½ cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth6 ounces bacon (preferably thick-cut), cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces6 - 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature1 large carrot, roughly chopped1 large onion, roughly chopped2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered2 medium cloves garlic, skin on and smashed1 teaspoon dried thyme 10 parsley stems 1 bay leaf 1 ½ teaspoons tomato paste 24 frozen pearl onions (evenly sized), thawed, or fresh pearl onions½ pound white mushrooms (small), washed and halved if medium sized, quartered if large2 - 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Before You Begin
If you have the time to blanch and skin them, fresh pearl onions are terrific. Simply cut an “x” in the root end, blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove them with a slotted spoon, and refresh them in a bowl of ice water. Then slice off the very tip of the roots with a paring knife and squeeze the onions gently from the blossom end. They will pop right out of their skins.
Instructions
- Generously sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and ground black pepper; set aside. Bring red wine and chicken stock to boil in large, heavy saucepan; reduce heat to medium-high and simmer until reduced to about 4 cups, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fry bacon in large Dutch oven or deep, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat until fat has rendered and bacon is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate to drain; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon butter with rendered bacon fat; add carrot, onion, shallots, and garlic and sauté until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Following illustration 1 below, press vegetables against side of pan with slotted spoon to squeeze out as much fat as possible; transfer vegetables to pan with reduced wine mixture (off heat) and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from Dutch oven or sauté pan.
- Return Dutch oven or sauté pan to burner over medium-high heat and add another 1 tablespoon butter. When butter is melted, add chicken (in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding) and cook until well browned all over, turning once or twice during cooking, 12 to 16 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate; set aside. Pour off all fat from Dutch oven or sauté pan; return to heat and add wine-vegetable mixture. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with wooden spoon (see illustration 2, below). Add browned chicken, thyme, parsley, bay leaf (parsley and bay leaf can tied together), and tomato paste to boiling wine mixture; return to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered. Turn chicken once during cooking, until tender and infused with wine flavor, 45 to 60 minutes.
- While chicken and sauce are cooking, heat another 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add pearl onions and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if butter starts to brown too fast, until lightly browned and almost cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms, season with salt, cover, increase heat to medium, and cook until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to high, and boil until liquid evaporates and onions and mushrooms are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer onions and mushrooms to plate with bacon; set aside.
- When the chicken is cooked, transfer to serving bowl or platter; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Following illustration 3, below, strain sauce through fine mesh sieve set over large measuring cup, pressing on solids with wooden spoon to release as much liquid as possible; sauce should measure 2 to 3 cups. Return sauce to pan; skim as much fat as possible off surface. Counting 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour for each cup of sauce, mash 2 to 3 tablespoons each butter and flour in small bowl or plate to make a beurre manié, as shown in illustration
- Bring sauce to boil and whisk in beurre manié until smooth. Add reserved chicken, bacon, onions and mushrooms; adjust seasoning with salt and ground black pepper to taste, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer very gently to warm through and blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Check seasoning one more time and adjust with additional salt and ground black pepper if necessary; add parsley. Transfer chicken to serving platter; pour sauce over chicken. Serve immediately.
Time
2¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
3 pounds chicken legs (about 4 legs), carefully trimmed of all fat, cleaned, dried, and thighs and drumsticks separated
Salt and ground black pepper
1 bottle red wine (750ML), fruity, smooth, medium-bodied, such as Oregon Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or a light Rhone valley wine
2 ½ cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
6 ounces bacon (preferably thick-cut), cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces
6 - 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered
2 medium cloves garlic, skin on and smashed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 parsley stems
1 bay leaf
1 ½ teaspoons tomato paste
24 frozen pearl onions (evenly sized), thawed, or fresh pearl onions
½ pound white mushrooms (small), washed and halved if medium sized, quartered if large
2 - 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
3 pounds chicken legs (about 4 legs), carefully trimmed of all fat, cleaned, dried, and thighs and drumsticks separated
Salt and ground black pepper
1 bottle red wine (750ML), fruity, smooth, medium-bodied, such as Oregon Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or a light Rhone valley wine
2 ½ cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
6 ounces bacon (preferably thick-cut), cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces
6 - 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered
2 medium cloves garlic, skin on and smashed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 parsley stems
1 bay leaf
1 ½ teaspoons tomato paste
24 frozen pearl onions (evenly sized), thawed, or fresh pearl onions
½ pound white mushrooms (small), washed and halved if medium sized, quartered if large
2 - 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
3 pounds chicken legs (about 4 legs), carefully trimmed of all fat, cleaned, dried, and thighs and drumsticks separated
Salt and ground black pepper
1 bottle red wine (750ML), fruity, smooth, medium-bodied, such as Oregon Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or a light Rhone valley wine
2 ½ cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
6 ounces bacon (preferably thick-cut), cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces
6 - 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered
2 medium cloves garlic, skin on and smashed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 parsley stems
1 bay leaf
1 ½ teaspoons tomato paste
24 frozen pearl onions (evenly sized), thawed, or fresh pearl onions
½ pound white mushrooms (small), washed and halved if medium sized, quartered if large
2 - 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For maximum flavor in our coq au vin recipe, we used chicken legs rather than a combination of legs and breasts and gave the sauce and wine enough time to fully reduce. To further develop the flavor, we added the traditional bouquet garni and aromatic vegetables as well as the classic pearl onions and white mushrooms. As a final touch to our coq au vin recipe, we thickened the sauce at the end with a beurre manié (equal parts uncooked flour and butter) and finished with fresh parsley.
Before You Begin
If you have the time to blanch and skin them, fresh pearl onions are terrific. Simply cut an “x” in the root end, blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove them with a slotted spoon, and refresh them in a bowl of ice water. Then slice off the very tip of the roots with a paring knife and squeeze the onions gently from the blossom end. They will pop right out of their skins.
Instructions
- Generously sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and ground black pepper; set aside. Bring red wine and chicken stock to boil in large, heavy saucepan; reduce heat to medium-high and simmer until reduced to about 4 cups, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fry bacon in large Dutch oven or deep, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat until fat has rendered and bacon is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate to drain; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon butter with rendered bacon fat; add carrot, onion, shallots, and garlic and sauté until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Following illustration 1 below, press vegetables against side of pan with slotted spoon to squeeze out as much fat as possible; transfer vegetables to pan with reduced wine mixture (off heat) and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from Dutch oven or sauté pan.
- Return Dutch oven or sauté pan to burner over medium-high heat and add another 1 tablespoon butter. When butter is melted, add chicken (in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding) and cook until well browned all over, turning once or twice during cooking, 12 to 16 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate; set aside. Pour off all fat from Dutch oven or sauté pan; return to heat and add wine-vegetable mixture. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with wooden spoon (see illustration 2, below). Add browned chicken, thyme, parsley, bay leaf (parsley and bay leaf can tied together), and tomato paste to boiling wine mixture; return to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered. Turn chicken once during cooking, until tender and infused with wine flavor, 45 to 60 minutes.
- While chicken and sauce are cooking, heat another 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add pearl onions and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if butter starts to brown too fast, until lightly browned and almost cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms, season with salt, cover, increase heat to medium, and cook until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to high, and boil until liquid evaporates and onions and mushrooms are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer onions and mushrooms to plate with bacon; set aside.
- When the chicken is cooked, transfer to serving bowl or platter; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Following illustration 3, below, strain sauce through fine mesh sieve set over large measuring cup, pressing on solids with wooden spoon to release as much liquid as possible; sauce should measure 2 to 3 cups. Return sauce to pan; skim as much fat as possible off surface. Counting 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour for each cup of sauce, mash 2 to 3 tablespoons each butter and flour in small bowl or plate to make a beurre manié, as shown in illustration
- Bring sauce to boil and whisk in beurre manié until smooth. Add reserved chicken, bacon, onions and mushrooms; adjust seasoning with salt and ground black pepper to taste, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer very gently to warm through and blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Check seasoning one more time and adjust with additional salt and ground black pepper if necessary; add parsley. Transfer chicken to serving platter; pour sauce over chicken. Serve immediately.
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