RCP: Coq au Riesling

Another wonderful recipe from Laura Calder's show French Food at Home, slightly modified. I used chicken thighs and deglazed with wine, since I didn't have any Cognac or brandy. I served it with her Red Wine Cabbage (http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=30789), spaetzle and a 2008 Alsace Willm Riesling. The combination was wonderful.

Note: I tried using light sour cream, and it watered down the sauce so much I had to add some 35% cream to enrich it again. Next time I'll stick to crème fraîche.

Coq au Riesling
Serves 2

2 chicken legs, split at the joint (or 4 chicken thighs)
Salt and pepper
1/2 Tbsp each of butter and olive oil (or 1 Tbsp duck or goose fat)
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic minced
1 Tbsp Cognac
1/2 cup dry Riesling
1/4 cup stock
1 Tbsp butter, more if needed
1/4 lb mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
Chopped tarragon, for garnish

Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper. Heat the fat in a sauté pan, and brown the chicken on all sides. When all the chicken is browned, remove it to a plate and add the shallots and garlic to the pan for one minute.

Pour over the Cognac to deglaze. Put the chicken back in. Pour over the wine and the stock, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, about twenty minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile, melt a little butter in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms until golden. When the chicken is cooked, remove it to a serving platter and keep warm. Boil the cooking liquid down to sauce consistency. Stir in the cream and the mushrooms. When hot, taste and correct the seasonings. Pour over the chicken, scatter over the tarragon, and serve.

Serves 2.

Looks great, Ted! I was thinking of doing coq au vin this weekend but wanted something a little different. This ought to do the trick.

Ted,

That sounds excellent and I hope to try it soon. I have quite a bit of Riesling in my cellar but none of it is dry. What would you specifically recommend I look for when purchasing a dry Riesling to make this dish?

Ted,

That sounds excellent and I hope to try it soon. I have quite a bit of Riesling in my cellar but none of it is dry. What would you specifically recommend I look for when purchasing a dry Riesling to make this dish?

Something Alsatian, certainly, since it's an Alsatian dish. You only use a quarter cup per person, so think more about what you want to drink than how it would taste in the dish. I used a 2008 Willm Réserve Riesling. It's a relatively inexpensive wine. Make sure it's dry, though, since it's impossible to tell from the label how sweet Alsatian wines are (unless they say "Sélection de Grains Nobles", in which case you can be almost certain it's sweet). Ask your wine merchant for advice.

Made this tonight and it came out beautifully. I used the '07 Lucien Albrecht Riesling. It was a bit more pricey than I wanted ($19.50) but it was the only guaranteed dry Alsatian riesling I could find on short notice.

Excellent recipe - thanks, Ted.