This is my special recipe of Coq au Vin derived from the Crock Pot recipe and Julia Child’s original recipe. Bon appetit.
Ingredients
1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
4.5 lbs chicken quarters (legs and thighs)
1 tbs. olive oil (or good cooking oil)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups young red wine (I prefer Beaujolais)
1 cup chicken broth
1 large tomato, chopped
6 pearl onions, diced
1 or 2 large cloves of garlic
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 large white mushrooms, quartered
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
Beurre manie, for the sauce (1 1/2 tbs. each flour softened butter blended to a paste)
Directions
1. In a medium skillet, cook the diced bacon until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, salt and black pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture. Brown the chicken in the pork fat, adding a little olive oil, if needed.
3. Place the chicken, bacon, carrots, tomatoes, thyme, and oregano in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker.
4. Deglaze the skillet with the red wine and chicken broth, bringing the liquids up to a boil and scraping the bottom of the skillet.
5. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables, stirring to combine.
6. In a skillet, brown the onions and garlic in butter for 5 minutes. Pour on top of the Crock-Pot mixture.
7. Cover; cook on Low 4 to 6 hours (or on High for 2 to 3 hours).
8. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the beurre manie. Divide them into 1 teaspoon each and roll them into a ball. Dunk them into the sauce (in different sections of the pot). They will melt as the food is cooking.
9. Add mushrooms to the pot.
10. Before serving, skim off any excess fat on the surface add the fresh parsley for garnish.
Suggested accompaniments: Mound it on top of cooked egg noodles.
