Me: Looking forward to trying something new tonight with dinner!
Him: Great! Can't wait.
Me: Well, I'm insulted. Aren't you even gonna ask me what I'm making? ; p
Him: Oh. Ok. What are you making?
Me: Coq Au Vin!!!!
Him: Did you just curse me out?
Yes, people. You say it pretty much as you read it. Coq Au Vin. I guess the whole "Coq" part kind of threw him off. I like to say it with a snooty, fake, horrible French accent. (Not that the French have a horrible accent. Just that I do a horrible accent.) And it is a classic French dish. It means...Cock with wine. Now that all of you got your minds in the gutter, you should be ASHAMED of yourselves!!! We are talking about fine, classic, French cuisine!!!
To get your dirty minds out of the gutter, let's call it Rooster with Wine. Or Chicken with Wine. Which is what it is. A delicious, succulent, amazing dish of Chicken, veggies, other wonderful ingredients, all simmered in an amazing Red Wine Sauce.
Now, I have to warn you. This is a dish that takes time and little bit of effort to make. It took me a lot longer to get to the simmering part then I thought. There was more work to it than I had thought. But, if you take your time....enjoy your time....you will be rewarded with an amazing dish that tastes like it just came from some fancy, froo-froo restaurant. And your kitchen will be thick with the smells of a professional chef. I couldn't believe how awesome my kitchen smelled. And each step just created another layer to the aroma. Each step creates another layer to the flavors of the Coq Au Vin.
The other thing I have to warn you about are the pictures that I took. I am aware that my pictures are not the greatest to begin with (This is the Movie Junkie Cooks, not the Movie Junkie Takes Awesome Photographs!), but my camera had died and I used my husband's camera, which I'm not used to. Plus, I was kind of a bit frazzled making this dish and felt rush in taking the pictures between the different steps. So, please forgive me.
Ok. Enough Chit-Chat. On to COQ AU VIN!!!!
First do your prep work. That would include:
Three Carrots, peeled and chopped. (next time I'm buying the baby carrots and just cutting them in half. It'll save me time).
Two or Three Celery, (celeries? celerea?), washed and chopped.
A good couple of handfuls of Pearl Onions, tops and bottoms cut off, and skin removed. (next time I'm buying frozen ones. Too much work here.)
A package of Mushrooms, cleaned and quartered. (again...next time....just buying sliced mushrooms already cleaned.)
About four strips of Bacon, sliced into pieces.
Now....let's begin. In a large pot, cook up the Bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon (and HIDE IT because otherwise you will be snacking on it and then there will be no more left for later on when you need it! Not that I did this.)
Leave the bacon grease in the pot and add about a Tablespoon of Olive Oil. Then throw in the Carrots/Celery/Pearl Onions. Toss to coat with the Bacon fat and Olive Oil. Let cook, occasionally stirring, for about 20 minutes.
Remove and place in a bowl. Add another Tablespoon or two of Olive Oil to the pot, then throw in the Mushrooms and some minced garlic. Stir and let it cook down. About 5 minutes. Remove to the same bowl the other veggies are waiting in.
In same pot, you are going to add a little more Olive Oil. Salt and Pepper your chicken pieces. (I bought my chicken cut up for me. At least I was smart about that and didn't waste more time trying to butcher the darn thing.) You should have eight pieces: 2 legs, 2 wings, 2 breasts, 2 thighs.
In batches, place the chicken in the pot and let it brown on both sides. You're not looking to fully cook them. You just want to get the skin nice and golden. Remove the chicken pieces to a separate bowl from the veggies.
Add another Tablespoon of Olive Oil (last one, I promise), then a small can of Tomato Paste. Stir it in as good as you can. Try and get up any of those tasty bits at the bottom of the pot. The paste will turn dark, maybe stick. That's okay.
Zest an Orange right over the pot and into the tomato paste. I love the smell of citrus cooking.
Then, carefully (because it's FLAMMABLE!!!) add a nice splash of Brandy and stir it into the tomato sauce. It's starting to really smell professional in your kitchen....I mean if you didn't set anything on fire with the Brandy. And if you did...well, I warned ya. How big of a splash of Brandy? About one turn of the pan should do it.
Let it cook and mix with the tomato paste and the orange zest for just a couple of minutes. Just enough to let the flavors join together.
Now, place the chicken pieces back in the pot. Add the veggies. Take a bottle of Red Wine and pour around the pan. About two turns of the pan. Then add a can of Chicken Broth/Stock. Tuck in a couple of Bay Leaves in there. Sprinkle with some Dried Thyme, Salt, Pepper. With a spoon, carefully try and mix the veggies around the chicken, over the chicken, under the chicken. Very, very carefully because this pot is going to be CROWDED with all that good stuff.
Place a lid on it, and let it simmer on low heat until the Chicken runs clear juice when poked or a thermometer in the Chicken Breasts reads 170 degrees. This took me about an hour or so.
While I waited, I decided I needed to do something with the Zested Orange, the open bottle of Red Wine, and the Brandy that I paid way too much for. And I did. Grabbed some Seltzer, sliced the orange up, put the slices in a pitcher and muddled it with some brandy. Then added the rest of the bottle of Red Wine. Topped it with Seltzer and Viola!!!! Sangria!!!! YUM!!!
Back to the Coq Au Vin. When done, remove Chicken and Veggies with slotted spoon. Over medium heat, add about two Tablespoons of Flour that was whisked with three Tablespoons of cold water. Keep whisking that flour mixture in that sauce as it bubbles and becomes thick. Then turn off heat and spoon sauce all over the Chicken and veggies.
I really wish you could have tasted it. It truly was divine. OH! Before I forget, just when you are about to serve it....the Bacon pieces? IF there is any left....garnish the dish with that.
My kids LOVED it. The chicken was moist and juicy. The Red Wine Sauce was AMAZING. My husband couldn't get enough of it.
Yes. It took a lot of time and work. But it was so worth it. Every single bite was simply....amazing. It has such a comforting, warm way about it. But the Orange Zest, the Brandy, and the Red Wine really takes it up to a "fancy" level.
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