It’s officially fall — time for relaxing at home and enjoying warm meals with rich red wine. Let’s start with a seasonal favorite: Coq Au Vin, a French dish that can be created for a crowd of 6 in 90 minutes.
In fact, this is a dish that you can actually cook with wine. It tastes best when prepared and paired with a bold red, like one of the selections in the newest Weekly Tasting set: Can You Taste Terroir? California Pinot Noir.
Ready to start tasting?
These are the ingredients you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup pancetta or bacon, cubed
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 6 bone-in chicken legs or thighs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup mushrooms
- 1 cup pearl onions
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups dry red wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
And how you’ll put it together:
1. Place the pancetta or bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Push the pancetta and onions to one side of the pan. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the chicken skin-side down in a single layer. Do it in batches to avoid crowding the pan, if necessary. Cook until the skin is crisp and golden-brown, 6 to 8 minutes, then flip the chicken over. Transfer the chicken to a dish.
3. Add the shallots and cook another minute, until softened. Add the carrots, mushrooms, garlic and saute for about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and tomato paste until completely combined, and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Slowly add in the wine and chicken broth. Then add bay leaves and thyme.
4. Add the cooked bacon and chicken back to the pot. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 60-80 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove the bay leaves and thyme.
5. Plate the chicken thighs and top with a ladle of the wine sauce.
There you have it! A must-have French fall meal for the family (with an added wine bonus for you). Don’t forget to pair this seasonal dish with one of the rich Pinot Noirs in this week’s tasting, Can You Taste the Terroir? Cheers!