Coq au vin with mushrooms, bacon & pearl onions

A classic French stew for October and a Canadian wine with dark fruit and herbal notes

A Canadian wine pairs surprisingly well with this classic French bistro dish. In coq au vin, chicken thighs are braised in full-bodied red wine until the meat falls tenderly from the bone and the sauce becomes dark, glossy and aromatic. Crispy bacon, browned mushrooms and glazed pearl onions lend the dish depth and a subtle sweetness. A dash of cognac and fresh thyme round off the sauce. The recipe requires a little patience but little skill, and the flavours improve with every hour. It’s a meal for cool October evenings, whether you’re inviting friends round or want to enjoy a cosy evening for two. It calls for a red wine that offers fruitiness and freshness without overpowering the delicate sauce.

Ideal wine pairing: Creekside Cabernet Merlot (Niagara Peninsula, Canada)

Aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry and black cherry rise to the nose, accompanied by subtle hints of spice and fresh herbs. On the palate, this red wine is juicy and harmonious, characterised by a blend of 50 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 42 per cent Merlot and 8 per cent Cabernet Franc. Twelve months in used oak barriques give it structure without the wood taking centre stage. With 6 grams of residual sugar, it is dry, whilst an acidity of 6.6 grams keeps it fresh. This is exactly what a coq au vin needs: the dark fruit complements the red wine sauce, the herbal notes harmonise with thyme and bay leaf, and the acidity cuts through the bacon and butter. The soft tannins allow the tender chicken to take centre stage. With an alcohol content of just 12.5 per cent, the pairing remains light and elegant. Serve the wine at 16 to 18 degrees in a red wine glass.

The recipe:

Coq au vin with mushrooms, bacon & pearl onions

Coq au vin is a classic dish of French country cuisine. Chicken thighs are browned in butter, flambéed with cognac and braised for an hour in red wine, chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves until the meat is melt-in-the-mouth. Bacon, mushrooms and glazed pearl onions are added to the pan separately and only combined with the reduced sauce at the very end, so that each ingredient retains its flavour. The recipe is designed for two people, is easy enough for beginners to master, and tastes even better the next day. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and fresh baguette, which you can use to mop up the sauce.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Braised dish

Cuisine Burgundian

Servings 2 people

Calories 780 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Gusseisentopf oder Bräter mit Deckel
• 1 Große Pfanne
• 1 Kleine Pfanne für die Perlzwiebeln
• 1 Scharfes Küchenmesser
• 1 Schneidebrett
• 1 Schöpfkelle
• 1 Kochlöffel

Ingredients

  

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FOR THE CHICKEN:

• 4 chicken drumsticks Thighs with bone and skin, approx. 180 g each
• 2 Tablespoon of wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoon of cognac
• 300 ml a full-bodied, dry red wine
• 200 ml Chicken stock
• 1 Onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 Bay leaf
• Salt Pepper

FOR THE CONTENT:

• 80 g A whole piece of bacon
• 200 g brown button mushrooms
• 120 g Pearl onions
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoons of sugar
• Salt Pepper

FOR SERVING:

• 1 Tablespoon of flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

 

PREPARATION:

• Pat the chicken thighs (4 pieces) dry, season with salt and pepper, and coat in flour (2 tbsp).
• Tap off any excess flour.
• Zwiebel (1) fein würfeln und Karotte (1) in kleine Würfel schneiden.
• Finely chop the garlic (2 cloves).
• Place the pearl onions (120 g) in boiling water for 2 minutes, then plunge them into cold water and peel them.
• Cut the bacon (80 g) into thick strips.
• Clean the button mushrooms (200 g) and, depending on their size, cut them in half or into quarters.
• Preheat the oven to 160 °C (top and bottom heat).

COOKING STEPS:

• Heat the butter (1 tbsp) and olive oil (1 tbsp) in a roasting tin over a medium to high heat.
• Fry the chicken thighs, skin-side down, for 5 minutes until golden brown, then turn them over and fry for a further 3 minutes.
• Remove the chicken and set it aside.
• Sauté the onion and carrot in the frying fat for 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and tomato purée (1 tbsp) and fry for 1 minute.
• Deglaze with cognac (2 tbsp) and reduce briefly.
• Pour in the red wine (300 ml) and reduce by half.
• Add the chicken stock (200 ml), thyme (3 sprigs) and bay leaf (1).
• Place the chicken in the roasting tin, skin-side up, so that it is half-submerged in the sauce.
• Cover the roasting tin with the lid and leave to braise in the oven for 1 hour.
• Whilst the chicken is braising, fry the bacon in a frying pan for 4 minutes until crispy, then remove it.
• Fry the button mushrooms in the bacon fat for 5 minutes until well browned, season with salt and pepper, then remove them from the pan.
• Melt the butter (1 tbsp) in a frying pan, add the pearl onions with the sugar (1 tsp) and glaze for 8 minutes over a medium heat until they are golden brown.
• Remove the roasting tin from the oven and take out the sprigs of thyme and the bay leaf.
• Remove the chicken and keep it warm.
• Simmer the sauce uncovered for 8 minutes until it is slightly thickened, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the bacon, mushrooms and pearl onions to the sauce.
• Return the chicken to the sauce and leave to simmer for 5 minutes over a low heat.

SERVE:

• Place the chicken thighs on pre-warmed deep plates.
• Pour the sauce, containing bacon, mushrooms and pearl onions, generously over the top.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
• Finish with some freshly ground pepper.
• Serve with the mashed potatoes.

SIDE DISHES:

• Creamy mashed potatoes
• Fresh baguette
• Green salad with mustard vinaigrette

Nutrition

Calories: 780kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 52gFat: 48g

Keyword Braised chicken, Cabernet Merlot, Chicken in red wine, Coq au Vin, Coq au Vin recipe, Fall Recipe, October recipe, Pearl onions, Wine from Canada, Wine to go with coq au vin

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