Chicken in Red Wine Sauce

Serves 4

Coq au vin, or chicken in red wine sauce, is a French bistro staple that is famously easy to prepare. You just empty a bottle or two of wine over some chicken, let it marinate, and then cook it. But this version tweaks the traditional recipe in a few important ways: the braising liquid is a more mightily seasoned concoction than you’ll find in most recipes for coq au vin, and I add dried porcini mushrooms to the mix. If over-reduced, red wine becomes unpalatably concentrated and syrupy; the addition of distilled white vinegar here lightens up the marinade with some extra acidity and makes reducing the wine a more forgiving prospect.

Like any good bistro classic, this is delicious with Potato Gratin.

 

One 3¹/₂-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges

1 large carrot, peeled and cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces

12 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise

1 bottle (750 ml) full-bodied red wine

4 plum tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1-inch rounds

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sugar

All-purpose flour, for dredging

1 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup store-bought, reduced-sodium chicken broth or homemade Chicken Stock

¹/₄ cup distilled white vinegar

¹/₄ cup dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

 

1. Wash the chicken pieces in cold running water and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Put the chicken pieces in a deep container just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Scatter the onion, carrot, and garlic over them. Pour in the red wine. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or overnight.

2. About 30 minutes before you want to cook, put the tomatoes in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Give a good toss and set aside at room temperature.

3. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and set aside. Pour the liquid and vegetables into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl; reserve them separately. Let all of the ingredients come to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge them in flour, shaking off any excess. Set aside.

5. In an ovenproof pot large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken pieces and cook them on each side until the skin is nicely browned and some fat has been rendered, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

6. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the reserved vegetables and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

7. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the reserved red wine marinade, the chicken broth, white vinegar, dried porcini, thyme, bay leaves, 1¹/₂ tablespoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Stir to integrate the ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat.

8. Return the chicken pieces to the pot, cover, and braise in the oven until a sharp, thin-bladed knife inserted to the bone reveals no red within and only the faintest trace of pink, if any, about 25 minutes for the breast pieces, 40 minutes for the others. As the pieces are done, remove them from the pot and arrange them decoratively on a platter. Cover them with aluminum foil to keep them warm.

9. Strain the sauce and discard the vegetables. Return the sauce to the pot over high heat and let it reduce for 5 minutes, skimming off and discarding any fat that rises to the surface. If not serving immediately, let cool, cover, and refrigerate the chicken and sauce separately for a few days, but do not freeze. Reheat separately before proceeding.

10. To serve, spoon some sauce over the chicken pieces and pass any extra sauce alongside in a sauceboat.