Coq au Vin

Name: Coq au Vin
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Europe, French
Ingredients: 3 pounds, chicken legs (about 4 legs), carefully trimmed of all fat, cleaned, dried, and thighs and drumsticks separated; , Salt and ground black pepper; 1 bottle, red wine (750ML), fruity, smooth, medium-bodied, such as Oregon Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or a light Rhone valley wine; 2 1/2 cups, chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth; 6 ounces, bacon (preferably thick-cut), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces; 6 - 7 tablespoons, unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 , large carrot, roughly chopped; 1 , large onion, roughly chopped; 2 , medium shallots, peeled and quartered; 2 medium cloves, garlic, skin on and smashed; 1 teaspoon, dried thyme; 10 , parsley stems; 1 , bay leaf; 1 1/2 teaspoons, tomato paste; 24 , frozen pearl onions (evenly sized), thawed, or fresh pearl onions; 1/2 pound, white mushrooms (small), washed and halved if medium sized, quartered if large; 2 - 3 tablespoons, unbleached all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons, minced fresh parsley leaves

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 1999

Why make Coq au Vin? That was our question until we rediscovered (and then streamlined) this timeless recipe for home cooks.

SERVES4

TIME2¼ hours

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For maximum flavor in our coq au vin recipe, we used chicken legs rather than a combination of legs and breasts and gave the sauce and wine enough time to fully reduce. To further develop the flavor, we added the traditional bouquet garni a...

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