Coq au Vin | Wine Chicken Casserole
Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays, a party which purpose is to give thanks.
And yes, I know we should not need a specific day to express gratitude, it should be something that we practice everyday, because being grateful brings us many benefits and advantages,
- It makes you happier, because it makes you focus on what you have and not on what you do not have, translating into a state of greater happiness.
- The person who receives the compliment will also be happier.
- Strengthen relationships, by thanking someone, you are seeing the positive side of those people, you are recognizing their merit and their value.
- You develop a tendency to be more positive
And many more that remain in the inkwell.
This year we celebrated Thanksgiving in petit committee, just the two of us, so there has been no roast turkey, we had instead a delicious Coq au Vin made with love, slow cooked until the chicken meat came off the bone, a maximum delight.
Do not be intimidated by the name, coq au vin is just the French words for chicken cooked in wine, a classic dish of French cuisine. As I say, it consists of a chicken stew in a casserole for few hours and I just made it healthier by adding extra vegetable.
As long as you can, use free range chicken, make sure that they have grown naturally, and that they have been fed with organic corn and cereals (without toxins), this will make the meat much more juicy, tender, not to mention that it will provide you much better quality nutrients to your body.
The recipe itself is very easy, simple, tasty … and so good. The secret? A little patience, a lot of time over the heat and a lot of fresh herbs.
How is it prepared? Well, sauté chicken, caramelize the onion and garlic, add the tomato concentrate, rest of the vegetables, the wine, the broth, cover and forget about it;)
Normally I do not usually cook with wine, I always tend to substitute it with broth or even miso paste, but today I wanted something traditional and special, and the wine is the heart of this recipe, it provides flavor and helps the chicken to be tender.
Serve with mashed potatoes or better mashed cauliflower and you will have a delicious dinner that will please everyone. And it is ideal for when we have to cook for a large crowd of people as usually happens on these dates;)
If you do this coq au vin, I’d love to read what do you thing, so please, leave me a comment below. And, of course, if you make this recipe, do not forget to tag me on Instagram too! One of my favorite things is to look at all the photos of the dishes you have prepared!
- 1 onion cut in julienne
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of tomato concentrate
- 2 carrots peeled and cut into pieces of 5 cm
- 2 free-range chicken thighs
- 200 grams portobello or white mushrooms in quarters
- 250 ml red wine
- 250 ml chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- salt and black pepper
- mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower to serve
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Put a large skillet on high heat, when hot, seal the chicken thighs until they are well browned. Remove from heat and reserve.
In the same pan, lower the heat, and add the onion and garlic in the oil that the chicken has released, if you see that it is not enough, add a little more. Let the onion caramelize slowly, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomato concentrate, take a couple of turns to mix well. Add chicken thighs, carrots and mushrooms.
Pour the red wine, the chicken stock, the bay leaves, the thyme and the rosemary. Season, cover and cook at low temperature for 2 hours. Take a look every half hour to see that it does not run out of broth and that the boil does not stop. If necessary add more hot chicken broth.
Once the time has passed, uncover it and turn up the heat, let it boil for 15-20 minutes to reduce the sauce. Remove the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme and discard.
Serve chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes.
If you wanted the sauce a little thicker, you could thicken it with a little cornstarch. In a bowl, add a teaspoon of cornstarch and a spoonful of the stew stock, disolve the cornstarch and then add to the stew. Take a couple of turns and let it boil until it thickens. If you wanted it very thick, add more cornstarch, but always keep in mind that when it gets a little cold it will thicken more.