Wait, Isn’t It a White with Chicken?

A red wine with red meat and a white vintage is reserved for lighter-colored dishes, right?  Maybe, though if anyone is qualified to exceed that guideline it’s the French, and if one dish can make it work, Coq au Vin will do it.  Besides, after marinating in wine for a whole day, as this chicken has, rules lose their importance.

The recipe appears in the December 2016 edition of Bon Appetit, and the opportunity was irresistible to make a go at a genuine classic, as well as to use up an entire bottle of wine.  Plus, adding chocolate to the sauce intrigued (the full title is “Coq au Vin with Cocoa Powder”).  Perhaps this will be the French version of Chicken Mole?

Not at all.  Coq au vin is lighter and subtler, and derives much of its identity from the mushrooms that accompany the chicken.  The main difference, though, is the wine.  A whole bottle of red in the Côtes du Rhône class marinates the bird for an entire day, imparting a grapy succulence and giving the chicken a dark purple hue, as seen above.

 One day earlier, though, as the fowl started its soak, the wine hadn’t had a chance yet to work its magic…

After twenty-four hours, the chicken is retrieved from the bath, and the marinade is strained.  By now, the wine has taken on the flavors that developed in it, and consequently is a lighter purple.  Cocoa powder, bacon and vinegar, among other ingredients, are added, and the mixture thickens as it’s heated.

The bird is then cooked in the sauce, contributing another savory layer, then the baste is filtered again, sautéed mushrooms and onions are added, and the entire thing is served up alongside the poultry.  It’s smooth, it’s silky, it’s savory, and it’s so-perfectly French.

Perhaps a red wine is more substantive than is a white, and is more suited to the task of infusing its essence over an entire day.  Could be, though whatever the reason for it, a red wine works magnificently here.  Even if does rewrite the “rules” of wine pairing.  Just when things were starting to make sense…

*****

Coq au Vin with Cocoa Powder

• 1 3-to-4-pound chicken, cut into eight pieces (*1)
• salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped (*2)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 bottle of red wine (*3)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 5 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, halved
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 8 ounces pearl onions, peeled (*4)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Place it in a large bowl and add the yellow onion, carrot, bay leaves, thyme and wine.  Cover and chill for a day, turning chicken once or twice.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, returning to the sauce anything that adheres to the bird.  Pat dry the chicken with paper towels and set it aside.

Meanwhile, strain the marinade through a cheesecloth.  Reserve the solids that remain behind in the strainer.

In a stockpot set over medium flame, melt a tablespoon of the butter and a tablespoon of the olive oil.  Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crisp, about eight minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a medium bowl.

Put the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer in the pot.  Cook until the skin is browned, about ten minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a separate plate.

Pour off all but a tablespoon of the oil, reserving the remainder for now.  Add mushrooms and a couple tablespoons of the reserved wine to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are lightly browned, about five minutes.  Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl that already holds the bacon.

Add to the pot the aromatics you strained earlier from the marinade, adding a tablespoon of the oil you poured off from the pot before.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and browned slightly, about ten minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour is no longer visible.  Return the chicken to the pot, along with the strained wine.  The wine should just cover the chicken.  If not, add water until it does.  Bring liquid to a gentle simmer, partially cover pot and cook for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a skillet set over medium flame, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter and the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the pearl onions, season with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned, about ten minutes.  Add water to just cover the onions, cover skillet partially, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat partially and cook until onions are cooked through, about twenty minutes.  Turn off heat.

Going back to the stockpot, remove the chicken to a separate plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Strain the sauce through a cheesecloth once again, this time discarding the solids.  Return the sauce to the pot and set the flame to medium.

In a small bowl, whisk together three tablespoons of the sauce, the red wine vinegar and the cocoa powder.  Stir this into the braising liquid.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about ten minutes.

Add the pearl onions, along with their broth.  Also add the bacon and mushrooms you set aside earlier.  Cook until just heated through.  Arrange the chicken on a platter and pour the sauce over it.

NOTES:

1 – Create eight pieces by cutting each breast in half.  Along with a pair of drumsticks and thighs, this will get you to eight pieces.  By halving the largest parts, this will let the bird cook more evenly.

2 – Instead, I used two large shallots.  Of course I did.

3 – Something from the Côtes du Rhône variety is best for this purpose.  If you can’t find it, any red wine, even burgundy, would work.

4 – The market carried pearl onions for months, then the week I needed them, that strain disappeared.  Naturally…and maddening.  Oh well; in their place I used broiler onions, quartered.  Even regular onions would work, if they’re cut into thumbnail-sized pieces.

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