Coq au Vin (Chicken Braised in Red Wine)

Method

1. 1

   Brown the bacon in a dutch oven until crisp and lift it out, leaving the fat behind.

2. 2

   Season the chicken and brown it hard in the bacon fat, skin-side first, in batches. Set aside.

   💡 Deep color now is flavor you cannot add later — do not rush the browning.

3. 3

   Soften the carrots and pearl onions in the pot for 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic, tomato paste and flour for another minute.

4. 4

   Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom clean, and return the chicken, bacon, bay and thyme. The liquid should come two-thirds up the chicken.

5. 5

   Cover and braise at a lazy simmer for 75 minutes, until the chicken is spoon-tender.

6. 6

   Meanwhile sauté the mushrooms in butter until golden and stir them in for the final 10 minutes.

7. 7

   Lift out the chicken, boil the sauce hard until it coats a spoon, season, and reunite everything. Serve with potatoes or crusty bread.

   💡 Like most braises, it is even better made a day ahead and reheated gently.