Fast Coq Au Vin

What is it about French dishes? As soon as you pronounce it (or, in my case, mispronounce badly), everyone says a collective 'Oooooh!' The French have a reputation for excellent food that is known the world over.

What I really love about French cooking, however, is how simple it actually is. It's easy to assume that something that's delicious took hours of meticulous work. I'm sure that's the case in some Michelin star restaurant, but many classic French dishes rely on the best ingredients and produce, and not clever cooking skills.

So on Coq Au Vin day, I'll be trying my best to impress my family with this classic Coq Au Vin recipe. I've picked a robust red wine, a Petite Sirah from Peltier Station Winery, as I like how it's strong enough to give my Coq Au Vin a kick, but it doesn't over power it.

Happy Coq Au Vin  Day!

Your Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon

4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)

3 tablespoons of fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

8 large shallots

8 ounces of large crimini mushrooms

2 garlic cloves

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

1 1/2 cups of Peltier Station Winery Hy.brid Petite Sirah

4 teaspoons of all purpose flour

How to make your Fast Coq Au Vin

Get your oven on and heat it to 300°F.

Chop up your bacon coarsely. Now, in a skillet, fry the bacon for a couple of minutes over a medium heat until the pieces are crispy.

Use a slotted spoon to drain the bacon and move the pieces into a bowl.

Chop the parsley.

Halve the chicken fillets lengthwise, and then sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of the chopped parsley, some salt and pepper, and then add to the skillet (which should still have bacon fat in it).

Fry for about 6 minutes on each side until the chicken is cooked through, and then move the chicken into a pie dish. Place into the oven.

Halve the shallots and the mushrooms, and then add to the skillet.

Fry for about 4 minutes until brown. Finely chop or crush the garlic cloves, add to the skillet and toss through.

Add 1 1/4 cups of the broth, all of the wine, the reserved bacon pieces, and 1 tablespoon of parsley to the skillet.

Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring every so often, for about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup of broth and keep stirring till smooth.

Sprinkle the flour, a bit at a time, to the sauce and keep stirring until the sauce thickens with no lumps (about 3-4 minutes).

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Take the chicken out of the oven, pick out the chicken halves from the pie dish and arrange on plates.

Add any juices at the bottom of the pie dish to the sauce in the skillet, and then spoon over the sauce over the chicken halves.

Sprinkle over the remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley.

Serve with potatoes or other vegetables.

Mom’s Secret Tip:

I always have cheap bottles of Sirah red in my cupboard (never spend more than $10 for wine that you will cook with). It's great for making impressive looking dishes fast for unexpected guests, or when you’re too busy to spend hours in the kitchen.