Coq au Vin -- SAS Style!

We recently hosted a Holiday Taste and Tour event here where guests sipped and savoured their way through my home while enjoying delectable food and wine combinations at 6 different stations.  It was a hit … even though the power went out!  But, with a trusty team, a clever fiancé, patient customers, and a dog that luckily went to the pet resort for the weekend, all was fine!

One of the favourite stations was the Coq au Vin paired with Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery’s 2018 The Louie Pinot Gris vinified in an Alsatian style -  rich, smoky, spicy, round, and sensational.

While I was making the sauce for the Coq au Vin, I was scared that I was adding too much wine … then I giggled because:

1. Too much wine to a recipe? Is that possible?; and
2. Coq au Vin translates to “Rooster/Fowl of the Wine”.

So … of course it has a lot of wine in it!

But, in true “Sue-Ann Style”, I didn’t completely follow any recipe.  Here is roughly what I did…

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• 1 lb smoked bacon (cut into 1” pieces)
• 4 lbs chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
• salt and pepper
• ½ lb carrots (peeled and cut on the diagonal in ~1/2 pieces)
• 1 yellow onion (diced)
• 1 clove garlic (chopped)
• ¼ cup sherry
• 1 bottle white wine (full bodied if possible)
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 lbs mushrooms (fibrous part of the stems removed, quartered)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Spray cookie sheets with a non-stick cooking spray.  Lay out chicken breasts.  (you can use any cut of chicken with or without the bones – I wanted this version to be lean and easy to eat hence used breasts only).  Rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil with salt and pepper on breasts (I also add some dried herbs like a light shake of Herbs de Provence or dried oregano for more dimension).  Very lightly cover with aluminum foil.  Cook for 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the meat is 150˚F.  Take out of the oven and allow to cool completely.  Once cool, fork the meat apart into strips in bite size pieces.

In the same oven, cook mushrooms for 20 – 30 minutes.  Reserve until the end.

In a Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed large pot over medium high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  In batches, cook the bacon until it is brown, remove and drain on a paper towel, then set aside.  Remove all bacon fat from the pot.

In the same pot, heat the last tablespoon of olive oil.  When hot, add in onions and carrots.  Cook until they are soft (about 10 – 12 minutes) stirring occasionally.  Add in garlic and cook for one minute.  Add in sherry, cooked bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected from the chicken.  Add the wine, stock, and thyme stocks.  Bring to a simmer.  Cover with a tight-fitting lid and allow to slowly simmer for 30 – 40 minutes.  Add in mushrooms to heat through (5 minutes).

Serve over mashed potatoes (my favourite way!), egg noodles or on its own in a bowl

Garnish with fresh thyme or other fine herbs.

Even better with roasted pearl onions on top!

Sensational when served with Sue-Ann Staff’s Pinot Gris!