Coq au vin
========== 2019-01-27


Inspired from coq au vin à l'ancienne

Comment: Marinating the rooster will give it taste and will tenderize the meat a bit, the long cooking will do the rest. However here I use chicken and the marinating will give it taste and once cooked the meat will fall off the bone which is great. In North America onions can be very large, use less accordingly. A rooster will probably require a longer cooking time than chicken. A little trick, instead of adding too much salt, try to use a bit of (good, ie. not too salty) chicken stock powder.

4 servings

Ingredients:
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1+ kg chicken
2 carrots chopped in slices
1 large onion cut in 4
4 to 5 garlic cloves smashed
2 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 to 12 pepercorns
1 to 2 cloves
5+ juniper berries (opt)
2 bay leaves dried or 1 fresh
1 bottle strong red wine (preferably Bourgogne)
1 dl cognac
300 g mushrooms cut in slices
80 g pearl onions
150 g lardons
veal fond or chicken fond (see text)
beurre manié (30g + 30g)


Preparation:
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- 1 day before marinate the chicken:

Place the chicken parts in a bowl with all the spices and herbs, the onion and the carrots.
Cover with enough wine and let rest 12 h or more.

- On the cooking day:

Sieve the marinade and separate the chicken parts, the carrot and onions and return the garnish in the marinade. Pat the chicken dry.

Chop roughly the onion.

In a dutch oven, brown the lardons, reserve keeping the fat in the pan.
Brown the chicken, posibly in 2 batches, on all sides, salt and pepper then reserve.
Sweat the carrot and onion in the same pan.

Return the chicken to the pan, add the cognac and flambé (or evaporate the alcool for a few minutes).

Add the marinade and the garlic, if necessary (normally not) add some fond (chicken, veal) to cover.

Simmer (good simmer) for about 2 hours, possibly more. Covered for the first hour, then +/- uncovered to let the sauce reduce somewhat. After the first hour, check the seasonning keeping in mind that the sauce will reduce.

Meanwhile, sauté the mushroom in a little butter, and reserve.

Glaze the pearl onions: place them on 1 layer in a pan with a little butter, a pinch of sugar and water to level. Simmer half covered until all the water is evaporated, then reserve.

Prepare a beurre manié mixing 30 g of butter with 30 g of flour.

When the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the sauce, sieve the sauce, discard the solids (keep the carrots). Place the sauce back into the pan and adjust its consistency by adding part or all of the beurre manié slowly (it must be on low boil).

Return the chicken to the pan, add all the reserved elements, simmer for a few minutes and serve.