This recipe is adapted from Julia Child’s classic recipe in ‘Master the Art of French Cooking’. You might want to read this blog also: The 10 Commandments of Coq au Vin but not until after you’ve made the recipe(s) below. There are three: the main coq au vin, the onions and the mushrooms. There is no ‘one pot’ short cuts here. Settle in and cook.

Ingredients – Main Recipe

4. ounces unsmoked bacon lardons

Butter

3 pounds of jointed chicken – legs & thighs with the bone in are best

Salt & pepper

½ cup of cognac

2 cups of decent red wine

2 cups of chicken stock (approximate)

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 clove of mashed garlic

1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of thyme

1 ounce of flour

1 ounce of very soft butter

Instructions – main recipe

1. Cook the bacon in the butter in a deep cast iron stock pot, remove with a slotted spoon when crisp.
2. Dry the chicken thoroughly, season with salt and pepper then brown the chicken quickly in small batches. 
3. Heat the cognac in the microwave and return to the pot with the chicken and the bacon, VERY CAREFULLY flame the cognac.
4. Turn the heat to low, pour in the red wine, enough chicken stock to cover the chicken, the tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf and thyme.
5. Simmer slowly for 30 minutes or so until the chicken is cooked.
6. Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid, cover and keep warm.
7. Boil the cooking liquid down so there are about 2 cups left, remove the bay leaf and thyme.
8. Make a beurre manie (combine the butter and flour) and whisk into the cooking liquid to thicken and make gravy.  It’s going to be a purple brown colour depending on your red wine. This is the thing that you think won’t work, but it does. 
9. Return the chicken to the pot, add the mushrooms and the onions (see following recipes).  Bring up to heat and serve.

Ingredients – brown braised miniature onions

18-24 miniature onions

2-4 tablespoons of butter, a shot of olive oil

½ cup of chicken stock or red wine (or a combination of the two

A bouquet garni

1. Peel the onions.  This is annoying so use this blog, it works great. https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/how-to-peel-pearl-onions
2. Bring the butter and oil up to temperate in a skillet, add the onions and brown. 
3. You will need to roll them around in the butter and keep them moving.  They won’t be perfectly even in colour.
4. Add the liquid, salt and pepper to taste and the bouquet garni.  Simmer for 40/50 minutes.
5. Put to one side ready to combine in your coq au vin.

Ingredients – sauteed mushrooms

½ pound of quality small mushrooms (double this recipe if you have mushrooms lovers in your house)

2 tablespoons of butter

Splash of olive oil

2 tablespoons of finely chopped shallots (optional)

1. Prep the mushrooms to a nice eating size, if small just remove stems, otherwise half or quarter.
2. Heat the butter and oil.
3. Add the mushrooms and shallots if using,
4. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until browned but don’t overcook. 
5. Put to one side ready to include in your coq au vin

Tags: coq au vin