COQ AU VIN

By Alain Ducasse

Coq au vin is a traditional French stew made with chicken and

red wine. For even more flavor, make a homemade brown
chicken stock.

INGREDIENTS (6 PEOPLE)

The day before : marinade Chicken Garnish

7 ounces (200 g) carrots 1 5 ½-6 ½ pound (2.6–2.8-kg) chicken 8 ¾ ounces (250 g) salt-cured pork belly
7 ounces (200 g) onions (rooster or stewing chicken) 1 ½ tablespoons (20 ml) oil
1 ½ ounces (40 g) shallots 1 ½ ounces (40 g) butter 8 ¾ ounces (250 g) Scotch bonnet
2 cloves garlic ¼ cup (50 ml) cognac mushrooms
1 sprig thyme 3 tablespoons (40 ml) olive oil 8 ¾ ounces (250 g) spring onions
1 bay leaf fleur de sel ¾ ounce (20 g) butter
1 celery stalk freshly ground pepper 1 tsp sugar
5 parsley stems brown chicken stock fleur de sel
2 bottles (1.5 l) generic red Burgundy
wine Base needed : Brown Chicken Stock
1 tsp black peppercorns 2 onions
freshly ground pepper 1 bouquet garni
1.5 l white chicken stock
50 ml grapeseed oil

INSTRUCTIONS

The day before : marinade

Dress the chicken and cut into 16 pieces. Peel, wash, and finely slice the carrots. Peel and finely slice the onions and shallots.
Tie the parsley stems together with the thyme, bay leaf, and celery to make a bouquet garni. Put all of the chicken pieces into a
stainless steel container and evenly distribute all of the sliced vegetables for the marinade. Cover the chicken with wine. Add
the crushed unpeeled garlic cloves, bouquet garni, and peppercorns. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 24 hours in the
refrigerator.

Step 1: Chicken
The next day, strain the marinade and separate the liquid, the aromatics and the chicken. Carefully pat dry the chicken pieces
and aromatics from the marinade. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron pan. Brown the chicken pieces, skin-side down first, until
nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a tray. Add the butter to the pan, then add the vegetables and aromatics from
the marinade. Sweat for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the wine from the marinade to a boil. When the aromatics are cooked,
return the chicken to the pan, placing on top of the aromatics.

Pour the Cognac over the top and flambé. Add the boiling marinade. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add enough
brown chicken stock to cover the contents of the pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook in the oven at 180 C/350 F for 2 hours.
Pay close attention to the chicken while it cooks, ensuring that it cooks slowly and evenly.

Step 2: Garnish

Cut the salt-cured pork belly into lardons. Blanch the lardons in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain them on paper towels.
Heat some olive oil in a pan, and add the lardons to brown them for 3-4 minutes. Set them aside to drain on paper towels.
Sauté the mushrooms in the same pan used for the lardons. Season with salt and sauté for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the pearl onions. Peel them and add the butter and the sugar to a pan. Add the pearl onions and a touch
of water, and cover with some parchment paper. Glaze until dark brown, about 10 minutes. When cooked, transfer the sautéed
mushrooms to the tray with the lardons. Remove the parchment paper from the onions. Stir them with the caramel that has
formed. Turn off the heat.

Step 3: Finishing and plating

After 2 hours, the chicken is cooked. Separate the chicken from the sauce, strain the sauce, and place it in the pan to reduce.
You can also add chicken blood at this point to thicken the sauce. Transfer the chicken to a rondeau pan and check that it is
properly cooked. The flesh should be tender. Add the lardons, mushrooms and onions to the chicken and heat. Add the
reduced sauce to coat the ingredients. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve the coq au vin in small cast iron pots or straight
on warmed plates, topped with the remaining sauce.

Base needed : Brown Chicken Stock

Peel and finely slice the onions. Break up the chicken carcass and chop the giblets. Brown in a cast iron pan with 50 ml of oil.
Add the onions and bouquet garni. Sweat for 5 minutes. Remove any fat from the pan. Deglaze with 30 ml of white chicken
stock. Reduce. Add enough white stock to cover the contents of the pan. Bring to a boil. Remove any fat and skim off any
impurities. Simmer for 2 hours. Skim regularly. Strain the stock through a conical strainer without pressing. Refrigerate.