Coq au Vin Blanc

Ingredients

• 2, 3-4 lbs Whole Chicken or 6 lbs of a variety of chicken pieces (skin-on chicken Thighs, chicken breasts and legs)
• 1/2 cup chopped bacon or lardons (I used Ventrêche for this recipe - pork belly added great flavor)
• 16 oz mushrooms (any kind will do, button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms are the classic, but a wild mushroom mix (like this one with Hen of the Wood, trumpet royal and clamshell mushrooms, is wonderful and adds great texture to the dish)
• 8 oz white pearl onions, left whole (if you don't have access to pearl onions, chopped onion works well too)
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth3 cups white wine (Chardonnay is the traditional choice - the dish originates from Burgundy)1 cup of chicken stock (plus and additional cup if need depending on the volume of your chicken)1 stick of butter plus 1 tbsp butter (soft but not melted!) for the beurre manié
• 1 tbsp of flour2 tbsp olive oil2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp salt ( I love to use flaky French salt like sel de Camargue or Guérand)4 garlic cloves, sliced3 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 3 branches of celery, diced (about one cup)
• Bouqet Garni made of the below:
• 2 sprigs each of fresh thyme and rosemary2 bay leaves (Make sure to take the bay leaf out after cooking if you do not tie up your bouquet garni with cheese cloth)1 star anise (same, must be taken out at the end!)
• 3/4 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. If you are starting with a whole chicken, break the chicken into pieces. Start by dislocating the legs (twist and they will pop out easily) and then cut off the wings from the base. Slice the breast meat away into two filets, leaving the skin on.
3. *Very important* Pat the skin dry with a paper towel. This will help it to get a nice sear.
4. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat drizzle the olive oil.
5. Once the olive oil begins to heat, add the chicken pieces, skin down.
6. Sear chicken pieces skin down over medium high heat until they become golden brown. You will likely need to do this in two batches. You don't want to crowd the chicken or it won't sear properly.
7. Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.
8. Use the rubber spatula to unstick the pieces leftover on the bottom of the pan - you will want those flavors in the sauce!
9. Bring the range down to medium heat and add the pork belly. Sautée until it browns.
10. Add the onions, garlic and sautée for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Use your rubber spatula to constantly scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the flavorful bits into the mixture.
11. Sprinkle over the sugar and add the butter. Stir
12. Once the onions are translucent (they will shine beautifully!), add in the chopped carrots and celery. Stir for a few minutes.
13. Then add in the mushrooms and stir gently until they soften.
14. Deglaze the pan with the dry vermouth and scrape the bottom with a spatula ( did I mention the brown bits is where all the flavor comes from?)
15. Pour in the chicken broth.
16. Add the bouqet garni and all of the wine. Bring back to a simmer.
17. Add in the Beurre Manié and stir. This is key for having a rich, unctuous sauce.
18. Beurre Manié (beurre manie) directly translates to "kneaded butter" and is an essential kitchen trick for thickening a sauce.
19. Made with equal parts softened butter and flour. Simply put 1 tbsp soft butter (not melted!) in a bowl with 1 tbsp flour and mix together with a fork until you create a pomade.
20. Set chicken pieces back in the Dutch oven on top of the vegetable garnish.
21. Cook on the middle rack of your preheated oven, uncovered for two hours. (Why uncovered? The sauce reduces better!)
22. *If you are serving the dish with mashed potatoes - you will want to begin the mashed potatoes while the Coq au Vin is in the oven.
23. Check the chicken every half hour or so. Carefully move the pieces around so that each piece of chicken is covered with the sauce.
24. There should be a generous amount of liquid left in the pot, surrounding the chicken. Add more warmed chicken stock if you need to.
25. After the 2 hours are up, remove from the oven. Discard the bouqet garni.
26. Allow to rest for at least a half hour before serving.
27. This dish is also amazing the next day if you are preparing in advance.
28. Plating the Coq au Vin Blanc
29. You can choose to individually plate each serving, but I love bringing this impressive meal to the table in a serving dish and serving family style.
30. After the dish has rested, remove the Chicken Pieces from the dutch oven and place on a serving platter.
31. Ladle the sauce over the chicken pieces on the platter.
32. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.