Coq au Vin - My Own French Bistro Night

After a wonderful lunch at Bistro 17, I rushed home and pulled out a few French cookbooks.  I turned the kitchen into my very own French Bistro.  Bonjour…slow cooker and Coq au Vin to follow.  The kitchen filled with the smell of chicken and thyme braising in red wine.  I made a creamy polenta instead of rice.  Il était très facile, très bon et très délicieux…Bon appétit.

Coq Au Vin in a slow cooker

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 slices of bacon (cut into 1 inch pieces)

1 large onion (peeled and cut - keep pieces on the large size)

6 garlic cloves (peeled and smashed)

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme

8 oz baby cut carrots (already peeled)

3 medium parsnips (peeled and cut into three inch pieces - about the same size as the carrots)

8 oz baby bella mushrooms (stems removed and cut in half)

1-cup chicken stock

3 cups red wine (if I won’t drink it, I won’t cook with it)

4 leg and thigh quarters

Garlic powder

Salt and pepper

About ½ cup of flour

Season chicken pieces generously with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle with flour. 

Brown bacon pieces in the bottom of a large skillet until crispy.  Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside.  Working in batches, add chicken pieces, skin side down and cook until the skin is crispy and golden.  Remove and set aside.  Add onion to pan and fry until the edges begin to brown.  Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside with bacon.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, remove and set aside.  Cook the mushrooms until they darken, remove.  Return everything to the insert of your slow cooker, starting with the chicken pieces, then bacon, mushroom, and onion and garlic mixture.  Add thyme, carrots and parsnips.  Pour in the stock and wine and set cooker on low for four hours.  Voilà!