Coq au Vin

Now this is what I love about being a housewife. Food. It's one part of my life and marriage vocation for which I have some degree of control. I love to cook. I'm no Rachel Ray, but I give it a go anyways. I learned early on that the quickest way to my husband's heart was through his stomach.

He's so easy. Give him a plate of food that not only fills his stomach but also tickles his palate and I have him wrapped around my finger.

Feeding one's husband and family can be as much of an art (or a chore) as one wants to make it. It's not easy and don't get me wrong, there are certainly nights where we simply order pizza. But making healthy decisions in the kitchen and carving time out during the day to plan and prepare for a meal is an act of love. It shows him--so he tells me--that I've been thinking of him through the day. Nothing is more demoralizing to my husband, as I've discovered the hard way, than when he walks through the door after a long day of work to find that I haven't even thought about, much less started, dinner. I may have every excuse in the book and had a busy day in my own right, but to repeatedly and habitually squander this part of my vocation is unacceptable.

Ask me how I know this. [hangs head in shame]

Now I'm fortunate in that I don't work outside the home. I have the ability to do make dinner nearly every night of the week. And you know what? It's my God-given duty, especially since I have the luxury of being stay-at-home-mom. So why not have fun with this element of my vocation as a housewife?

This was the third time I attempted Coq au Vin and I tweaked the recipe(s) quite a bit each time and finally came up with something for which even the kids went back for seconds (and even thirds). Contrary to what you might think, this French classic comes together ridiculously easily. The most time consuming part was peeling the onions but you can also buy the frozen, store-bought bags to save a step.


Coq au Vin

3-4 strips of bacon, diced
1 broiler, cut up (or 2-3lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, legs, breasts)
1/4 c. flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb pearl onions (about 20-30), skinned*
1/2 lb mushrooms (I use creminis from Trader Joe's), cut in half
6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole or sliced in half
1 1/2 cups red wine (preferably pinot noir or sangiovese...avoid cabernet)
2 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Mix flour, salt and pepper together and lightly dredge chicken pieces and set aside. Brown bacon over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Remove cooked bacon and set aside leaving grease in pan. Brown chicken pieces, in small batches. Remove browned chicken and set aside.

Add butter to pan then add mushrooms and onions and saute for about 4-5 minutes until lightly golden. Then add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes more. Remove onion mixture and set aside.

At the bottom of your pan you should now have developed a nice fond (browned bits). Add the wine and with a spoon, loosen up this fond then add the chicken broth. Add the chicken pieces back into the pan, making sure the pieces are mostly submerged in the liquid. Cover and simmer on med-low for 20 minutes or until meat begins to pull away from the bone.

Remove chicken to a warm platter. Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic and bacon pieces back into the pot, increase to medium heat and allow the liquid to reduce just a bit until it thickens to a light sauce. Spoon over chicken. Garnish with parsley and serve over buttered noodles or potatoes

*To peel pearl onions quickly, make an "X" with a paring knife on the root end of the onion. Drop into boiling water for one minute. Allow to cool then pinch the skin off with your fingers.