COQ AU VIN ROSÉ for CookingInQuaratine [recipe]

Coq au Vin Rose Recipe first, Notes and Shopping Resources follow.

COQ AU VIN ROSÉ

serves 4

INGREDIENTS
4 lbs bone-in, skin-on whole chicken parts or 8 thighs
2 teaspoons salt
olive oil for cooking
1 cup red onions, roughly chopped
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 sprig fresh thyme
3 stems fresh parsley
2 cups dry rosé wine
¼ cup Cognac or other brandy
1 cup + 1 cup extra chicken or rich vegetable stock
2 large pink carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
bunch of pink or red radishes, trimmed and cut into halves
red pearl onions, trimmed and peeled
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley and thyme leaves for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Rinse chicken to remove any rogue bits of bone or giblets. Dry well with paper towels, and season all sides of each piece with salt.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven (or a large pan with at least 2-3-inch high sides) over medium-high heat. Brown chicken skin side down first for 7-8 minutes until really golden brown, then turn over and brown for 3 more minutes. Remove chicken to a plate (or the overturned pot lid).

Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat/oil. Turn down heat to medium and add onions, and garlic to pot. Stir until garlic and onions are translucent and anchovies have completely broken down.

Turn down to heat to low and add thyme, parsley, rosé wine and 1 cup of stock to the pot. Stir to loosen brown bits from bottom of pot. Turn up heat and bring braising liquid to a boil.

Return chicken back to pot, skin side up, and pour in any juices that have wept out of the chicken and onto the plate. Add carrots, radishes, and pearl onions. Add additional stock to make sure braising liquid is at least ¾ up side of chicken if needed. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through (thigh temperature is 165).

Remove chicken to serving plate with high sides. Simmer braising liquid with vegetables until reduced by about ⅓, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle vegetables and sauce over chicken. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days, or freeze!

NOTES and RESOURCES

CHICKEN. Chicken thighs have the most flavor, but a whole chicken cut into eight to ten parts is the best value. If you buy a whole chicken, ask the butcher to cut it for you, and to save the backbone and giblets for stock and other delicious things later.

OIL. I use an affordable olive oil for every day cooking by California Olive Ranch. Because this recipe doesn't require very high heat cooking, olive oil is fine, but if you want to use a more neutral oil, try grapeseed oil.

ROSÉ WINE. Scribe Winery makes my current favorite rose of all time, but it is a little too expensive and a lot of effort to acquire (direct from winery, rarely at very small niche wine retail stores) to not drink straight. I generally buy whatever "good" $15 to $20 bottle of California rosé is available at the grocery store when I'm buying the ingredients for the dish.

COGNAC. Cognac is a brandy from a specific region of France called, wait for it, Cognac. I have Rémy Martin in my bar so I use it, but if you don't already have any kind of brandy, and don't want to buy an entire bottle that you may not drink later, skip it and add the equivalent in additional rosé/wine.

VEGETABLES. I specified the color of pink carrots, red radishes, and red pearl onions because they LOOK pretty in the dish because it's Coq au Vin Rosé, but you can technically use any color. And any vegetable for that matter. The traditional Coq au Vin made with red wine has onions and mushrooms.

SERVE WITH. If you're making Coq au Vin Rosé for a small gathering, add a modified version of a Caesar salad with little gem lettuces (they look like tiny Romaine lettuces) and Anchovy Vinaigrette, as well thick slices of toasted crusty bread to soak up the rosé sauce. Like I said, my favorite rosé is from Scribe Winery and obviously pairs with a rosé-based dish. Your favorite white wine, whatever it is, will be great. It's wine for God's sake.