Tag: chicken stew recipe

coq au vin

coq au vin - trust in kim This delicious recipe is from Bonnie Stern’ Heartsmart Cooking for Family and Friends. A good friend of mine recently told me that he needed to start watching his cholesterol, so a neighbour loaned me this cookbook full of heart-friendly recipes.  Any cookbook with coq au vin is worth giving a second look, especially one that tastes this good.  I served this with a baguette and a spinach and mushroom salad.  This dish made some amazing leftovers!

Sadly, I broke this beautiful blue antique bowl before I could use it again, so this is the first and last recipe I get to use it for.

What you need:

  • 1.5 kg chicken pieces (thighs work very nicely)
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 slices bacon
  • 2 tablespoons brandy
  • 12 pearl onions or shallots (or 1/2 an onion)
  • 12 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1/2 lb mushrooms – wild if you can get them
  • 2 large carrots sliced diagonally into 2 cm slices
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 cup homemade chicken or beef stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons fresh tarragon
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

What you do:

  1. Rinse chicken and pat it dry.  Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish and coat the chicken with this mixture.
  2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet, then remove it from the pan onto a paper towel to absorb the fat.  Cook the chicken in the bacon fat (or olive oil if you choose not to use the bacon.) Sprinkle on the brandy and let it cook for a minute.  Remove the chicken from the pan.
  3. Add the onions, garlic, mushrooms and carrots to the pan and let them brown for about 8 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil.  Add the stock, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and tarragon.  Add the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil.  Cook on low heat for about 45 minutes, with a lid on the pan.
  4. Discard the bay leaf, then remove the chicken and vegetables from the pan and keep it warm.
  5. Bring the pan juices to a simmer and cook uncovered until thickened.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and sprinkle with parsley.
  6. Serve over mashed potatoes or with a crusty baguette to soak up the juices.coq au vin in la creuset pot -trust in kim

Coq au Vin Blanc

I’m in love with this recipe.  It takes a bit of planning, but it is so worth it – so much flavour!  The chicken needs to be marinated, and it really does taste so much better when you use homemade chicken stock.

You’ll want a nice crusty loaf of bread to go with this, to soak up the delicious juices.  And a nice glass of wine can’t hurt.

The recipe is from Country Living’s One-Dish Country Suppers book, and I’ve adapted it a bit.

What you need for the marinade:

3 cups dry white wine

1 cup chopped onion

1 carrot, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

8 whole black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 pounds of bone-in, skinless chicken pieces (breasts might be a little dry for this one)

What else you need:

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large sweet onion, cut into large chunks

5 medium carrots, but into 1 inch chunks

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1/4 cup  flour

3 cups chicken broth (homemade is best!)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

3/4 lb small potatoes

What you do:

1. To marinate the chicken, cook all the marinade ingredients (except the chicken!) for about 5 minutes.  Let it cool to room temperature, then pour it into a container with the chicken and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry.  Strain and save the liquid.

3. In a large pan, cook the bacon until crisp.  Remove the bacon, then brown the chicken in the bacon fat.  Remove the chicken and most of the fat.

4. Add the olive oil and onions, cooking until lightly browned.  Add the carrots, celery, garlic and shallot, and cook for 5 more minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in a bowl stir a little of the marinade liquid into the flour, mixing so there are no lumps.  Add the rest of the marinade liquid and mix, ensuring there are no lumps.

6.  Add the flour and marinade mixture to the pot with the chicken.  Then stir in the chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.  Reduce the heat and cook for about 45 minutes

7.  Add the potatoes, then cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

8.  After a long-deserved wait you have a fabulous dinner to sit down to.  Top each portion with a little of the bacon, and enjoy a nice glass of wine with it!