A New Coq Au Vin

The "Cook for a Cure" went over as a huge success. One of the meals I made was my own twist on the classic Coq au Vin. A simple french peasant dish of chicken, vegetables in wine. Coq au vin simply meaning "Rooster in Wine" is usually made with older chickens because the connective tissue gives for a richer broth.

Now the recipe I'm going to give will be a simple basic one, from there you can experiment and create a lot more by adding more different vegetables in the main stew.
I was cooking 80lbs worth of chicken, so this recipe is a faster cook and easier then the slow stewed Coq au vin's of traditional france.

Take about 6 chicken thighs - dry them, salt and season them. I just used pepper and kosher salt.
In a pan with a light coat of olive oil, put the thighs skin side down and cook until cooked on that side (about 4 minutes or so).
Remove the chicken and place on the side, drain most of the fat.
Place in about a clove of halved garlic, a hearty amount of celery - cut in one inch pieces.
Cook the celery and garlic until the celery is soft.
Place the chicken in the pan with the garlic and celery, uncooked side down.
Cook until just under done - maybe about four more minutes.
Add enough wine that the celery and garlic are just covered. I used a chardonnay, but either that or a white zinfandel will work just fine.

The wine will also clean the fat that may be burnt onto the bottom of the pan of because of its acidity.

Take some chopped parsley and sprinkle over the coq au vin. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 5 -10 minutes on a low heat. Slice into one of the thighs and make sure its cooked thoroughly. If not, you can always throw it in the oven at around 375 until its done.


Now a few options you can throw in mushrooms, onions, carrots, pancetta or unsmoked bacon in the piece. All of that you want to throw in after you've drained most of the fat. you can also add a few tablespoons of cognac - moreso with a red wine like merlot if you use that instead of a white.

As per usual, be creative, have fun. This recipe knocks out 90% of the cooking time for Coq au Vin and makes for what i think is a great base to an awesome meal.