Easy Coq Au Vin, a simplified version of the classic French dish with less than an hour of active cook time. Juicy chicken, braised in wine with carrots, onions and garlic. Sure to wow your people
Ingredients
4 Bone in, skin on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
4 slices thick cut bacon sliced into 1/4" thick lardons. or 2 ounces smoked pork jowl 1/4 inch dice
1 pound carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, ends trimmed, outer layers removed and diced
4 large garlic cloves, peeled, chopped, (divided- three cloves for main dish, one for finishing mushrooms)
1 large shallot, ends trimmed, outer layers removed and diced
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 bottle (750 mL bottle) dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
12 thyme springs, divided. Tie 10 sprigs together with kitchen twine for main dish. Remove leaves from 2 sprigs, roughly chop and set aside for finishing mushrooms. Garnish with more thyme if desired
1 Bay leaf
1 Cup frozen pearl onions (optional)
8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms (can sub white button mushrooms), wiped clean with damp paper towel, stems discarded and cut into quarters.
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher Salt and Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
Pat chicken thighs dry and season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Set aside and allow to come to room temperature while you chop all vegetables and measure out liquids.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (make sure there is room to set your pot on the middle rack.)
In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, cook the bacon or pork jowl until crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon/pork jowl and set aside.
Place chicken thighs in pan skin side down. When the skin releases from the pan, brown other side. (Approx 4 minutes per side)
Remove Chicken and set aside.
Pour off all but about 2-3 tablespoons of the fat- enough to coat the veggies. Reserve the fat in case your pan gets dry.
Add onions and carrots with a 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook about five-seven minutes until onions start to turn translucent.
Add garlic and shallot and cook one more minute until garlic is fragrant.
Add brandy and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the little bits on the bottom
Add the chicken stock, wine, thyme bundle and bay leaf.
Add chicken and bacon back to the pan. Add any accumulated juice from the chicken back to the pan.
Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Simmer 30 minutes.
Add pearl onions, cover and transfer to oven
Cook 30 minutes in oven
While the pot is in the oven, make the mushrooms.
Melt the butter in a medium saute pan or skillet over medium high heat.
Add the mushrooms and cook 3 minutes. Add one chopped garlic clove and leaves from two reserved thyme sprigs and cook another 3-5 minutes until mushrooms are browned. Add more butter or olive oil if pan gets too dry.
Remove mushrooms and set aside.
When chicken is cooked through, remove the pot from the oven. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Add mushrooms to the pot.
Serve with mashed potatoes or warm, crusty bread for sopping up the sauce.