'Cheat' Coq Au Vin

4 from 1 ratings

Serve this recipe for a dish that will be sure to dazzle your guests. Add a few extra touches to your experience, and you’re going to feel like a Francophone whipping up coq au vin in Paris.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

2 whole chicken legs, skin on
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 thin slices of bacon (i prefer uncured and nitrate free varieties)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cup mushrooms, halved
2/3 cup full bodied, dry red wine

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash and pat dry chicken and sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly on both sides of the chicken, then set aside. In a large oven-safe skillet, sautée bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove bacon and save, but leave the fat in the pan. Sauté onions in the bacon fat until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove onions and save. Sear chicken pieces in the skillet with the remaining bacon fat over medium-high heat. The goal here is not to cook the chicken all the way through, but to get the skin crispy, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set it aside. Put cooked bacon, cooked onions, and raw mushrooms in the skillet and stir so the 3 ingredients are evenly distributed. Create little nests for the chicken and nestle the pieces in the vegetables. Pour wine over evenly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until juices run clear. This is the perfect time to set the scene: light candles, pour the wine, turn on the French tunes, and touch up your lipstick.