'Cheat' Coq Au Vin
'Cheat' Coq Au Vin
Serve this recipe for a dish that will be sure to dazzle your guests. Add a few extra touches to your experience, and you’re going to feel like a Francophone whipping up coq au vin in Paris.
Servings
2
Ingredients
- 2 whole chicken legs, skin on
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 thin slices of bacon (i prefer uncured and nitrate free varieties)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cup mushrooms, halved
- 2/3 cup full bodied, dry red wine
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash and pat dry chicken and sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly on both sides of the chicken, then set aside. In a large oven-safe skillet, sautée bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove bacon and save, but leave the fat in the pan. Sauté onions in the bacon fat until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove onions and save. Sear chicken pieces in the skillet with the remaining bacon fat over medium-high heat. The goal here is not to cook the chicken all the way through, but to get the skin crispy, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set it aside. Put cooked bacon, cooked onions, and raw mushrooms in the skillet and stir so the 3 ingredients are evenly distributed. Create little nests for the chicken and nestle the pieces in the vegetables. Pour wine over evenly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until juices run clear. This is the perfect time to set the scene: light candles, pour the wine, turn on the French tunes, and touch up your lipstick.