Coq Au Vin Du Beaujolais

Ingredients

• 1 chicken thighs

Preparation

1. Coq Au Vin Du Beaujolais
2. Epcot Food and Wine Festival, FRance (from F & W Festival cookbook)
3. Serves 4.


4. 2 pounds bone-in chicken parts (breasts, wings, drumsticks, thighs)
5. ½ tsp coarse salt
6. ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
7. 1½ ounces salt-pork fat
8. 2 tbsp butter
9. 6 pearl onions, peeled
10. ¼ pound whole mushrooms, washed and stems trimmed
11. 2 tbsp flour
12. 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
13. 1 750 ml-size bottle of Beaujolais wine
14. 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
15. 2 sprigs fresh parsley or 2 tsp. dried
16. 2 dried bay leaves
17. 1 to 1½ cups chicken stock


18. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside.
19. Cut the pork fat into ½ -inch cubes and place in small skillet. Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and pat the cubes dry with paper towels.
20. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
21. In a large, ovenproof pan, heat butter, pork fat, and pearl onions over medium-high heat on the stove top. When onions are golden brown, remove them and the pork fat with a slotted spoon and set aside.
22. In the same butter, cook the mushrooms over high heat until slightly brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside with the onions.
23. Saute the chicken in the same pan, over high heat until brown, about 3 minutes on each side until brown. Sprinkle the chicken with flour and place uncovered in the oven for 5 minutes.
24. Remove chicken from the oven and reduce heat to 250 degrees. Add the garlic to the chicken and stir for 1 minute.
25. Return to the stove top, add wine, and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
26. Add herbs, onions, pork fat, and mushrooms. Add stock if necessary to cover the meat completely. Cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake in oven for 1½ hours.
27. Remove from oven, place chicken in a serving dish, strain sauce to remove vegetables, discard fresh herbs, and set aside. Taste sauce, adding salt and pepper if desired. If you prefer a thicker sauce, return to stovetop over medium heat. Knead together 1 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP flour and stir into sauce, whisking for 4 to 5 min.
28. Serve the chicken, onion and mushrooms with the sauce and vegetables poured over it, accompanied by potatoes, rice or hot buttered noodles.