I absolutely love Coq Au Vin especially after I had it on my Viking cruise through Bordeaux. I have been searching for a recipe and found a ton of the original with red wine, but wanted to experiment with white wine. I took some bits and pieces from the red wine recipes and created my own version using my favorite Jessup Cellars Chardonnay. Here are the details for my version that I make in the crock pot.
12 oz steak cut bacon (thick cut)
12 oz mushrooms (any that are your favorite, I buy a variety pre-sliced pack from the grocery store)
1 cup rough cut carrots
1 bag frozen pearl onions
4-6 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme
6-8 chicken thighs
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1 bottle Chardonnay (I use Jessup Cellars)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Brown the bacon until crispy, remove from the pan and put in the bottom of the crock pot.
3. Sauté the mushrooms in the bacon fat until the mushrooms are soft, season with salt and pepper. Place mushrooms in crock pot on top of the bacon.
4. Brown the chicken tights skin side down in the saute pan with some olive oil. After browned place in crock pot.
5. Add about 4-6 cloves of garlic
6. Add the frozen pearl onions.
7. Add the chicken stock and entire bottle of Chardonnay
8. Add the sprigs of fresh thyme on top
Cover the crock pot and set to low and cook for 8-10 hours. The chicken falls off the bone.
I like to serve the chicken with the vegetables and mashed potatoes. If you are feeling ambitious, you can strain the juices into a pan and add corn starch and bring to a boil to create a gravy. I sometimes just use the juices as they are over the mashed potatoes and over the chicken.
This is a little work, but the chicken is one of my favorites for flavor. I cook the bacon, mushrooms and chicken the night before and add the rest of the ingredients in the morning before work. Cheers and enjoy!
