Photo by stevendepolo
We can't think of a better way to settle into this cooler weather than with Le Coq Rico’s recipe for Coq au Vin.
This recipe comes from the kitchen of Chef Antoine Westermann, the 3 Michelin-starred Chef who famously gave back his stars to pursue a career of unfettered culinary creativity. A lifelong champion of poultry, Chef Westermann perfected the art of cooking fowl at his restaurant Le Coq Rico, “the bistro of beautiful birds,” which has locations in both Paris and New York.
Coq Au Vin and Mushrooms
Serves: 4
Cooking Time: 1 hr. 55 min.
Ingredients
1 5.5-6.5 lb chicken, cut into pieces
7 ounces smoked bacon
3 cups mushrooms
3 ½ ounces stale bread
1 liter chicken stock
2 tablespoons flour
10 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons butter for the croutons
Salt and pepper
Marinade:
1 carrot
1 leek
1 celery stalk
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 clove
1 stem of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 L Cotes-du-Rhone or similar wine
Salt and pepper
To prepare the marinade, peel and chop the carrots into pieces, wash and cut the leek into rounds, wash and cut the celery into chunks, peel and cut the onion into rings, and peel and crush the cloves of garlic. Place the carrot, leek, celery, onion, and garlic in a large bowl and mix in the clove, thyme, bay leaf and wine. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, cover, and put in the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours.
After the chicken has marinated 24 hours, pour 7 tablespoons of olive oil into a cocotte. Reserving the marinade, remove the chicken and cook over high heat until golden.
Put the marinade and vegetables in a pan and bring to a boil. Run through a strainer to clarify the liquid.
Remove the pieces of chicken from the pan and deglaze the pan with the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken, vegetables from the marinade, and filtered liquid. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 90 minutes.
Wash the mushrooms, and cut them into large pieces. Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil in a pan and brown the mushrooms and bacon. Add salt and pepper.
Remove the chicken and place under a sheet of aluminum foil. Add 1 tablespoon of flour to the cooking juices, stirring constantly. Adjust the seasoning. Return the pieces of chicken to the pan, and add the bacon and mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes on low heat.
Cut the bread into small cubes. Heat the butter and cook the croutons until golden brown.
Place the chicken in a baking dish. Distribute the bacon, mushrooms, and croutons around the chicken. Evenly drizzle the sauce atop the dish. Reheat for a few minutes, so that the dish is very hot. Serve with egg noodles.