Coq Au Vin

Winter calls for a good hearty dish once in a while. I love this dish and serve it a couple of times a year in the fall and winter. I fixed this meal for a lovely couple in Lancaster Ohio. It’s a great way to spend an evening with family on a cold winters night.

Coq Au Vin

3 to 3 ½ lb fryer chicken cut up
½ lb Pancetta
8 sm white boiling onions (skins removed)
½ lb button mushrooms
1 ¾ C chicken broth (low sodium)
1 C dry red wine
2 Tb Dijon mustard
Bouquet of herbs: 2 sprigs of thyme and 1 sprig of Rosemary and 1 bay leaf, tied all together with string.
1 ts each cornstarch and water
2 Tb chopped parsley

Rinse chicken, pat dry and set aside. In a wide frying pan over medium-high heat, cook pancetta stirring, until crisp and well browned. Take out and set aside, leaving drippings in pan.
Add chicken to pan, a portion at a time, without crowding; cook and brown on all sides. Take out and set aside. Add skinned onions to pan, cook, and stirring until browned. Add mushrooms and cook until liquid has evaporated. Set onions and mushrooms aside.
Pour wine into pan and increase heat to high, scraping up brown bits from pan.

Stir in broth and mustard, mix well. Bring to a boil until reduced to about 1 ½ cups. Add chicken, onion and mushrooms back to pan. Add the Bouquet of herbs and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes until chicken is done. Stir in pancetta and return to a simmer
Transfer chicken and vegetables to a serving dish. Combine cornstarch and water and stir into sauce. Bring to a boil until thickened and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 4 or 5 people. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes or root vegetables and maybe some sautéed green beans.