Chicken In Wine (French Coq au Vin - Martha Stewart)

Coq au vin is a rich chicken stew made with red wine, bacon, mushrooms and a touch of Cognac. It’s a classic French recipe that always impresses, fancy enough for a dinner party but easy enough for a weekend meal. Whenever you serve it, be sure to have mashed potatoes or plenty of crusty bread to sop up the rich, velvety sauce. This recipe uses chicken legs and thighs rather than a whole chicken to streamline prep, otherwise our version of this crowd-pleasing dish is pretty traditional. It’s easy to make and takes about an hour and a half to cook, but you do need to allow time for the chicken to marinate in red wine.

4 chicken thighs
4 chicken legs
2 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
8 oz slab bacon, cut into ½" dice
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, if needed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 white pearl onions, peeled
½ lb small cremini mushrooms
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. Cognac
1 chicken liver, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
5 fresh thyme sprigs

Place the chicken in a large bowl and add wine. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3). Remove chicken from the wine and pat dry; reserve wine. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat until crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate, leaving drippings in pot. (You should have 3 Tbsp.; you may need to add oil.)

Raise heat to medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken, flipping once, until golden, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add onion to pot, and cook 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Add pearl onions and mushrooms, and cook until brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in flour and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Add Cognac and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Return bacon and chicken to pot. Pour in reserved wine, and add chicken liver and herbs. Bring to a simmer.

Cover and place in oven until chicken has cooked through and vegetables are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Discard herbs and skim fat from surface before serving.

Makes 6 servings.