This week’s recipe for The Food Matters Project is a twist on the traditional French dish, coq au vin – which means chicken braised in wine.
Yes, I’m a bit of a French food fanatic – so a recipe like this is right up my alley. It definitely falls on the rustic, French countryside area of the map, which might be my favorite place to be. For me, this type of French cooking equals plenty of good wine, crusty baguettes, and long, relaxed summer days.
Or in this case, spring days.
Though I will at some point be trying Bittman’s recipe in its original form, I couldn’t help myself from turning this into a spring vegetable-orgy. I usually describe my changes in words and link to the original recipe, but because I made so many changes, I wrote out my version for you below.
Which, I might add, I made several improvements to after the fact, so that your dish can be even better than mine. You won’t, for instance, make the mistake of adding the asparagus too early, like I did – they only take a few minutes to cook through, and you want them to stay crisp and green. And because I added such an abundance of veggies, I increased the amount of chicken for you in the recipe below – as I only used 4 thighs and we had a lot of lonely veg leftover with no chicken to keep it company. I would encourage you to have some fun with this dish, and adapt it to your own liking using whatever vegetables and fresh herbs you’re feeling at the market.
I would likewise encourage you to try the original recipe – as written here, on Fifth Floor Kitchen – as Bittman wrote it, because it does seem totally delicious and simple, and I’m especially intrigued by the eggplant that’s described to “melt” into the sauce. As usual, check out the rest of the group’s interpretations here.
Whichever direction you take this one, don’t forget the crusty bread – and do grab an extra bottle of wine. I think a nice spring rosé would be perfection!
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ pound prosciutto, chopped
- 6 bone-in chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ pound assorted sliced mushrooms
- 4 leeks, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
- 10 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Handful fresh herb sprigs {whatever you have on hand – parsley, thyme, dill, tarragon, etc.}
- 1½ pounds assorted new potatoes, halved
- 1 16-ounce package baby carrots
- ½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed
- ½ of a 16-ounce package frozen pearl onions, thawed
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven until shimmering. Add prosciutto and cook until crispy. Remove and set aside.
- Season chicken well with salt and pepper and add to the hot oil. Brown on all sides, and remove the chicken to a plate. Add mushrooms and leeks, cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have released their liquids and are starting to brown – adding garlic in the last 5 minutes or so.
- Add the chicken stock, wine, herbs, potatoes, and carrots. Return the chicken to the pot, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and cover for about 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to the plate again, and reduce the liquid until sauce is thickened. If this takes a long time, you may want to taste a carrot and a potato to check for doneness – removing them to hang out with the chicken so they don’t overcook, if need be. A slotted spoon makes it easy.
- Stir in the butter and lemon juice. Add asparagus, peas, and onions, and allow to cook in the sauce for a few minutes. They won’t take long at all, and you don’t want to overcook them – especially the asparagus and peas, which should remain nice and bright green. Serve each piece of chicken onto a plate, pouring sauce and vegetables over top; garnish with crispy prosciutto and chopped parsley.
I love your changes and what a beautiful picture of spring vegetables.
Your version looks fantastic! It’s so colorful and it looks so yummy for this time of year. Great job!
Mireya Merritt @MyHealthyEatingHabits recently posted..Chicken with a Variation of Ratatouille
Yay! Spring vegetables. I have asparagus coming up from my garden. This would be perfect.
Alissa recently posted..Kale Salad with Garlic Tahini Dressing
We are both right on the ball with the use of asparagus and carrots! Also, I totally used more chicken because I knew there would be plenty of veggies left.
Love the addition of potatoes and peas! Yum!
Margarita recently posted..Whole Roast Chicken and Vegetables au Vin… Even Better the Next Day
Looks tres bien!! As I was cooking the original recipe I couldn’t help but think I should have done a more “springy” version!
Jenn recently posted..Vegetable Coq au Vin
Sounds great and looks really pretty too
Alyssa @ Everyday Maven recently posted..A Recipe Fail + Starting an Organic Garden
I love this springtime interpretation! The colors are beautiful, and I’ll definitely have to try this- works much better with the weathering warming up.
Evi recently posted..Food Matters Project #8: Vegetable Coq au Vin
I love the changes you made. I especially like that you used white wine. Looks great!
I Love Vegetables most specially for springtime. I would love to try this French vegetable touch. This would surely be yum!
Lyka Ricks recently posted..Benefits of KVM Switch
If we weren’t going out to dinner tonight this would be the perfect dish for this cold and sleety day. I’ve made cog au vin but never with white! This will definitely be on the menu at Linderhof soon. Have already printed the recipe off.
Bette recently posted..Belk credit card