I hesitate to call my dish a Coq Au Vin because I didn't make it the traditional way. I didn't have cognac and instead substituted whiskey. I didn't want to make the braised mushroom and onions since my Fiance doesn't like mushrooms. So this dish is really more of a simple braised chicken in red wine inspired by coq au vin. I used Julia Child's classic recipe as my base for this dish.
Ingredients:
3 slices of bacon, cooked until crispy then crumble
2 tbs. olive oil
6 chicken thighs or 1 full chicken, cut into eighths.
1/4 cup whiskey, I used bushmills
salt
and pepper
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
3 tbs flour
3 tbs softened butter
3 cups red wine, burgundy or pinot noir
2 cups chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tbs. tomato paste
Directions:
1. Crisp bacon in a large pot over low heat. Cook, turning every few minutes, until fat has rendered out and bacon is crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Crumble once bacon has slightly cooled.
2. Heat bacon fat in pan to medium high heat. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to hot pan. Allow to brown on each side, turning chicken only once. Allow chicken to brown about 5 minutes per side. Remove browned chicken from pan and set aside on a plate.
3. Turn down heat to low and add sliced onions. Allow to cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and slightly cooked down. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook another minute.
4. This is the fun/dangerous part. To get rid of the alcohol in the whiskey you set it on fire. (this is called flambe). Pour your whiskey into the pan. Very carefully with a large lighter or match stick - light the pan on fire. If you give the alcohol 5 seconds to sit in the pan after pouring in, the alcohol gets into the air. You can just place your lighter or match near the side of the pan and the whole thing should light. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AT LEAST 3 FEET CLEARANCE ABOVE THE PAN! I've heard of people melting their microwave that's above the oven.
5. Allow the whiskey to stop burning and cook down until almost gone. Add the red wine and reduce by half over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the browned chicken pieces back to the pan. Cover with chicken stock so that the chicken is 90% submerged in sauce. Add 1/2 of the crumbled bacon pieces. Cook chicken over medium low heat until tender and cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.
7. Turn off heat once chicken is cooked and allow chicken to cool in the sauce. Once cooled, remove chicken to another plate. Turn the burner back on to high and reduce sauce until there is about 3 cups of sauce left.
8. In a small container, combine 3 tbs. softened butter and 3 tbs. flour with a fork until is becomes a smooth paste. Once sauce is reduced, whisk in butter and flour mixture. Cook sauce over medium heat until it is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon.
9. Add chicken back to pan. You can leave it at this point for a few days which makes this dish a great make ahead dish for a crowd or entertaining.
10. To serve, reheat chicken in sauce and serve over roasted or mashed potatoes with lots of sauce. You could also serve it with a green vegetable or light salad since it is a heavy dish.
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