Chicken with Wine: Coq au Vin
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001
1 1/2 cups pearl onions
1/2 pound salt pork or bacon,
diced
1 whole chicken, cut into 8
pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Emeril's Original Essence, recipe follows
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
1/2 pound button mushrooms,
quartered
1/4 pound cremini
mushrooms, quartered
1/4 pound oyster mushrooms,
sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup cognac
1 bottle dry red wine (Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir)
2 cups dark chicken stock
Bouquet garni
(a few sprigs of parsley, 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs thyme, and some black
peppercorns)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
15 toast points
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Bring 3 cups of water in a
medium saucepan to a boil. Add the onions and boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a
colander and refresh under cold running water. Cut away the stem ends of the
onions and slip off the skins. Set aside.
Heat a saute
pan or dutch oven, large
enough to hold the chicken in one layer, over medium heat. Add the salt pork
and cook, stirring, until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon
and drain on paper towels.
Season the flour with the
Essence, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Lightly
dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking to remove any excess. Increase the
heat to medium-high. Add the chicken to the fat in the pan and cook until light
brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add the pearl onions, mushrooms, and
garlic and cook until onions begin to brown and the mushrooms release their
liquid. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully add the cognac. With a
match, ignite the cognac, return to the heat and cook for 1 minute, until
flames die out and the alcohol cooks off. Add the wine and cook, stirring to
deglaze the pan. Add the stock to cover the chicken and the bouquet garni, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 to
25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the
pot and place on a large serving platter.
Make a beurre
manie by combining the butter with 1 tablespoon of
the flour, mixing well. Return the pan with the wine to the heat and bring to a
boil to reduce slightly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the beurre manie. Continue whisking
until the paste has been absorbed and the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Reseason to taste with salt and pepper. Add the chicken,
thyme and reserved salt pork to the pan and cook until heated through and the
flavors are blended, about 5 minutes.
Dip the tips of the toast
points in the parsley to coat. Serve with the parsley dipped croutes.
Essence (Emeril's
Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf
oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients
thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from
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