Braised Chicken Thighs, Coq au Vin Style

Originally a French preparation for stewing a tough old rooster, coq au vin re­mains a great method for preparing chicken, notably the legs or, here, just the thighs (breasts would become tough and dry). Instead of the beurre manié, I sometimes thicken this dish by adding a couple tablespoons of flour to the ba­con and onions before adding the chicken and the wine. Serve on top of but­tered egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or boiled red potatoes with fresh herbs.

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• Kosher salt
• 6 to 8 ounces/170 to 225 grams fat bacon lardons or sliced bacon
• 1 Spanish onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat side of a knife and then chopped
• 8 ounces/225 grams cremini mushrooms, quartered (optional)
• 2 cups/480 milliliters dry red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Beurre manié (see pages 7–8)
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

SERVES 4

• PREHEAT your oven to 450˚F/230˚C (or 425˚F/220˚C if it hasn’t been cleaned in a while).
• SEASON the chicken thighs liberally with salt. PUT them in an oven-safe pan, skin-side up, and ROAST until beautifully golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• REDUCE the oven temperature to 300˚F/150˚C.

• Meanwhile, COOK the lardons in a skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until they are golden brown and some fat has rendered, 15 min­utes or so. ADD the onion and garlic and SAUTÉ in the bacon fat until tender. ADD the mushrooms, if using, and COOK till heated through.

• PUT the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin-side up. ADD the red wine; it should come at least halfway or three-quarters of the way up the chicken so that the skin is exposed (add more wine if necessary). ADD the bay leaves. COVER the pot, preferably with a parchment lid (page 134), and PUT it in the oven until the chicken is fork-tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
• REMOVE the skillet from the oven, UNCOVER, and PLACE over medi­um-low heat. TURN on your broiler. TASTE the sauce for seasoning and ADD salt if necessary. ADD plenty of freshly ground pepper. ADD the beurre manié to thicken as desired.

• When the broiler is hot, PUT the skillet directly under the broiler until the chicken skin is browned and crispy and the fat is sizzling out of it. GARNISH with the parsley and SERVE

Recipes reprinted courtesy of Little, Brown and Company Copyright © 2015 by Ruhlman Enterprises, Inc.