So this was partially a fridge dive. I'm not going to lie, the only thing I bought yesterday in preparation was cheap red wine and skin on chicken thighs. Regardless, it emptied out the veggies in my fridge. Not like I could make it to the store anyway......my car in buried in a foot of snow and I am shovel-less.
Coq au vin is super easy because you just throw it all in a big pot and let is slow cook for hours. I breaded the chicken thighs by dipping them in whipped eggs and then covering with flour. I browned the thighs in butter in my cast-iron pot dutch-oven until they were golden and crispy (but not fully cooked) on each side. I then removed the chicken and put it chopped up raw bacon, spring onions, one white onion (diced), chopped mushrooms, and about 5 cloves minced garlic. I'm not one for exact measurements, I generally like to wing it. If I ever write a cookbook I'll worry about it then!
Let the bacon, onions, mushroom and garlic brown until tender. I then threw in a beef stockpot (Knorr works great), one cup of water, and about one half of a bottle of red wine. I added the chicken back to the mixture along with a generous helping of thyme and two bay leaves. Fresh thyme is preferable, but again, we do what we can when we are snowed in.
I then cover the stew and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour. I proceed to uncover it and let it reduce for a while. I did spoon out a little of the grease that collected on the top of the sauce. Very easy as if you just barely dipped a spoon in it will collect. Slow roasts are the best for snow days, especially when you have the best AMC movie line up ever on television, because there is a significant amount of waiting involved. Blood Diamond, Shawshank, and the Green Mile?! Home run!
Anyhow, as a summarizing note, coq au vin and beouf bourguignon are in the same general family of yummy french-style stews. Bacon is essential to both, as well as a nice thick texture to the sauce. I find Coq au vin a little more difficult to perfect than the other. Both are crockpot suitable, but if I'm making it the same day I'm eating it, I prefer a nice cast-iron dutch oven. Mine is my baby. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to clean it.
Until next time!
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