Hi there,

Valentine’s Day seemed the perfect time to show my love by serving Coq au Vin. This dish has been around forever and has an interesting history. Legends point to the existence of this dish to ancient Gaul and Julius Caesar. The rooster was a symbol of valor to the Gauls. Besieged by the Romans, the chief of the tribe Arverne, sent a symbolic rooster to Julius Caesar to show they would never be defeated. Caesar returned this gesture with a surprising twist, serving the chief with a delicious dish of rooster in wine.

This dish looks daunting but I took it apart and made it over the course of a few days. I changed some of the ingredients to make it easier and healthier. I hope you try it and enjoy this dish with the leftover red wine that you will have opened to prepare it.

Ingredients:

• 10 bone in skinless chicken thighs
• 3 and 1/2 cups red wine
• 2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 6 strips of extra thick bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, quartered then thinly sliced
• 6 medium carrots, cut into 4 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons of garlic paste
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 sprigs of thyme leaves
• 16 ounces mushrooms, whole white button mushrooms or thick white mushrooms sliced
• 24 ounces of cippolini onions
• Beurre manie (3 tablespoons of flour combined with 3 tablespoons of butter)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons of basalmic vinegar

Directions:

• From 24 to 48 hours ahead marinate the chicken thighs in 1 1/2 cups of red wine, 1/4 cup of brandy and 1 cup of chicken stock
• one day ahead sauté mushroom in olive oil and salt and pepper until nicely browned
• one day ahead sauté the chipollini onions in olive oil until brown and finish cooking in the same pan with 1/2 cup of red wine and 3 tablespoons of basalmic vinegar. Cook onions until glaze is reduced and thickened.
• the morning of the day you want to serve, fry the bacon pieces in a large pan, once browned remove from pan
• remove chicken thighs from marinade and pat dry and coat with salt and pepper
• quickly brown chicken in the reserved bacon drippings. The chicken will not be completely cooked.
• remove chicken from the bacon grease and brown the sliced onion, carrots, garlic paste
• when vegetables are browned add tomato paste to the pan and cook until light brown
• return the chicken to the pot along with the mushrooms and cipollini onions
• add remaining fresh wine, brandy and chicken stock and thyme sprigs
• refrigerate until ready to prepare for serving
• 1 hour before serving remove from refrigerator
• 1/2 hour before serving return pot to cook top and simmer for 20 minutes
• plate the chicken and vegetables leaving the liquid
• add beurre manie to the pot and stir until sauce is thickened (beurre manie is 3 tablespoons of butter and flour combined to make a paste).
• when ready to serve remove the thyme sprigs and sprinkle the bacon on top

Special Note: Don’t leave the chicken in the marinade for more than 48 hours. This recipe can, of course, be prepared all in one day. Definitely use a wine you would like to drink. The French use Beaujolais. I used Pinot Noir. This is delicious served with a glass of either wine, mashed potatoes and crusty bread.

                              au revoir pour le moment, ❤️💕 Bernadette