A classic French chicken stew, Coq au Vin features chicken braised with red wine, bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions, inspired by the New York Times Cooking recipe.
In a bowl, add your chicken, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf and red wine. Mix thoroughly, making sure the wine is covering the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for at least two hours.
Then, dry your chicken with paper towels and set aside (reserve the marinade!!! ). Next, heat a Dutch oven over high heat. Once hot, add oil and sear your chicken, in batches, for 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside chicken and add your bacon. Cook until fully rendered and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove your bacon from the pan, add your onions and carrots and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Next, add your tomato paste and garlic. Let cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Then, add your all purpose flour and cook for another minute.
Push all of the vegetables to one side of the pan, then add your Cognac and optionally flambe. Then add your reserved marinade and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, add all of your seared chicken back to the pot. Cover with a lid and let cook for about 1 hour. Then remove the lid and let simmer for another 15 minutes.
Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add your butter, add your pearl onions and season to taste with salt. Cover with a lid and cook, tossing occasionally, for about 15 minutes until they are caramelized. Then add your mushrooms and cook for an additional 5 minutes until softened. Lastly, add your onions and mushrooms to the pot along with 1/2 of your rendered bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with mashed potatoes, garnish with chives and enjoy!
