Coq au Vin

I'm gonna attempt my first Coq au Vin this weekend and have a good understanding of the basic recipe. Any hints, suggestions or don't dos in order to turn out a good example? Thanks.

Drew

[Jenise]

Good luck! It's a terrific dish, and I trust you're planning to use pinot noir? Because the only warning/advice I would have for you involves the wine: if you substitute something else, make sure it's a lighter bodied wine along similar lines and not a big purple bruiser--unless you want to serve purple chicken, that is.

I'm gonna attempt my first Coq au Vin this weekend and have a good understanding of the basic recipe. Any hints, suggestions or don't dos in order to turn out a good example? Thanks.

Drew

Drew,

If you can find them use fresh pearl onions. The frozen ones are OK but the fresh ones are way better but they are a pain in the neck to prep. I prefer to use smoked pancetta instead of bacon.
I marinate my chicken in a large plastic bag.

You will find a good method if you look up Alton Brown.

Gary

Drew,
To echo the words of my friend Ian Hoare, the most important ingredients in Coq au Vin are the title ingredients. The recipe was created to make old roosters (aka cocks) edible. They are the ideal bird for the long, slow cooking in wine but very tough (pun intended) to find in our modern society. A decent substitute is a capon. Alternatively, if you have access to Guinea fowl, they work, too. The second ingredient, the wine, is also important. Although I won't go to Ian's extreme of citing the example of "a bottle of Chambertin in the dish and another with it," a Burgundy or Pinot Noir that you would happily drink is the (IMO) best choice. The acidity of Burgundy was likely important in the original recipe for softening the meat of the tough old birds, but if you're using a more tender bird, you could get away with a less acidic wine.

Good luck!
Mark Lipton

The recipe was created to make old roosters (aka cocks) edible. They are the ideal bird for the long, slow cooking in wine but very tough (pun intended) to find in our modern society. A decent substitute is a capon. Alternatively, if you have access to Guinea fowl, they work, too. The second ingredient, the wine, is also important. Although I won't go to Ian's extreme of citing the example of "a bottle of Chambertin in the dish and another with it," a Burgundy or Pinot Noir that you would happily drink is the (IMO) best choice

I'm slightly surprised at the capon suggestion, though big they're kind of the opposite extreme as far as tenderness, no? We usually just use a big hen, a "broiler" or "roaster" if a commercial bird. Guinea fowl is a cool idea.

If I can't find a decent Burg at a price I'm willing to send a bottle into the pot, Cotes du Rhone does ok.

I regard the bird, the wine, the lardons, and the mushrooms as essentials, but variations after that are fine with me. My favorite recipe involves a little flaming with cognac or armagnac, but that's certainly not required.

I totally agree with everyone about the wine. I usually use a gamay based wine like a beaujolais since it's usually more affordable than a decent PN and does a good job in the stew. Let us know how it turns out!

Thanks to all my "Cheerleaders", I'll post the results and a picture....

Drew

I'm slightly surprised at the capon suggestion, though big they're kind of the opposite extreme as far as tenderness, no? We usually just use a big hen, a "broiler" or "roaster" if a commercial bird. Guinea fowl is a cool idea.

On the tenderness front, you're totally correct, Dale. But to me they have a more "gamey" flavor and are bigger than the average hen. FWIW, my best ever Coq au Vin was made with a free range bird from Magnani in Berkeley that was big enough to give Godzilla a run for his money.

And I also flame with brandy. I think that it adds a substantial amount of flavor the stew.

Mark Lipton

Dale said:

If I can't find a decent Burg at a price I'm willing to send a bottle into the pot, Cotes du Rhone does ok.

I've only done coq au vin a few times, and have always used something I've had on hand, most frequently a Cotes du Rhone, and have always enjoyed the result. However, I should try it sometime with the proper wine, and I wonder how much I'd have to spend. What are the low-end pinot noirs worth cooking with? What does the vin cost in your coq au vin, especially when done with pinot noir?

And I like it better with salt pork.

Made it this morning so my wife could have some to take to work. The pic does not do it justice. The flavor and tenderness of the chicken was wonderful. Served it over egg noodles. I'll be having my serving later with a Pinot Noir to be announced.

Drew

[Jenise]

Made it this morning so my wife could have some to take to work. The pic does not do it justice. The flavor and tenderness of the chicken was wonderful. Served it over egg noodles. I'll be having my serving later with a Pinot Noir to be announced.

Drew

Looks lovely. I am planning a roast chicken for tonight's dinner; you now have me rethinking this. I'm SO susceptible to suggestion!