Coq A Vin

Serves 4-6 

• 1 bottle good quality red wine (burgundy/Pinot Noir preferred)
• 1 small onion, cut into ½-inch dice
• 3 carrots cut into hunks
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2-3 sprigs of flat leaf parsley
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1-2 bay leaves (fresh preferred)
• 8 bone in, skin on Foster Farms No Antibiotics Ever Chicken thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 6 Tablespoons butter, softened, divided
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• ¼ lb bacon, cut into lardons
• ½ lb Shitake or button mushrooms
• 1 ½ cups frozen pearl onions, slightly thawed
• pinch of sugar
• 12-inch piece of Cheesecloth and kitchen twine for bouquet garni
• Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
• Cooked and buttered egg noodles

Place parsley, thyme, cloves, peppercorns and bay leaf in the center of cheesecloth and fold to enclose. Wrap and tie with kitchen twine to create a bouquet garni. Place chicken, chopped onions, carrot, wine and bouquet garni in a large bowl or container submerging all ingredients. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight.

The following day, remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Strain vegetables from wine, reserving both and the bouquet garni in separate bowls. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in large deep pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sear chicken in oil until skin is crisp and chicken is golden browned. Remove chicken and set aside. Add vegetables (from the marinade) to pan and allow to brown, scraping up bits from the bottom of the pan. Add flour to pan and toss to coat vegetables. Cook for 1-2 minutes more. Add reserved liquid along with the bouquet garni to pan and bring to a boil. Nestle chicken into sauce, spooning sauce over to coat. Place in preheated oven and cook for 1-1/2 hours until chicken is falling off the bone tender.

While chicken is cooking, place bacon in saute pan and cook until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Add mushrooms to bacon fat, season with salt and pepper, and cook until nicely browned. Turn off heat and set aside.

Place pearl onions in a small sauce pan with 2 tablespoons butter, a pinch of salt and a big pinch of sugar. Add enough water to the pan to almost cover the onions. Lay a piece of parchment paper or foil directly on top of the onions and allow to cook until water is evaporated, watching very carefully so as not to let them burn. When water has evaporated, remove parchment and swirl pan until onions are lightly caramelized. Turn off heat and set aside. 

When ready to serve, place chicken on serving platter with a slotted spoon. Discard the bouquet garni. Add reserved mushrooms, bacon and onions to sauce. Mount sauce with last 4 tablespoons butter. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle sauce over chicken and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with buttered egg noodles.