Coq au Vin ... Blanc

I love having time to play with new recipes!
Yesterday afternoon, after school, I tried to decide what to make for dinner, as every day! I had in mind a chicken dish but waasn't sure what to do.
I remembered seeing a recipe for a Riesling Chicken that sounded good. So off I am to Roche Brothers and hour later...my Coq au vin is simmering! I left the dish on the stove on really low and went to pick up the kids from soccer practice. I had instructed Bob to not touch it and when we arrived back home almost two hours later, it was perfect!!

Coq au Vin

Serves 6



18 chicken thighs, skinless, but with the bone
7-8 shallots
8 oz bacon, cut into small strips
12 oz assorted mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves
2.5 cups white wine
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup freshly chopped parsley


In a duch oven, saute the bacon. When crisp, remove from the pan ans set aside. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in a bowl and reserve.

In the same dutch oven, saute the shallots until golden. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Deglaze the juices with 1/2 cup both wine and broth. Let simmer a few minutes and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

Still in the dutch oven, heat the olive oil, add the garlic and the mushrooms. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
Deglaze the juices again and transfer to the sauce bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons bacon fat to the dutch oven and sautee the chicken, until brown, about 4 minutes per side. You may need to work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Again, deglaze the juices and set aside.

When all the chicken has been browned, transfer all the pieces back to the dutch oven and add the shallots, the bacon and the mushrooms. Add the reserved sauce and pour in the remaining wine and broth. Saeson with salt and pepper.

Cover, leaving the lid open a little to avoid too much water to form, and let simmer on very low heat for about 2 hours.

When ready to serve, transfer to a platter and sprinkle with the freshly chopped parsley.



As a side dish, Bob prepared the Roasted Butternut Squash:

Halve the squash and remove the seeds. Mix 1 cup apple cider, 1/2 cup white wine, a pinch of curry powder and salt and pepper. Pour at the bottom of a baking dish and place the squash, open face down, in the dish. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. Serve sliced with the chicken.