over vanilla skies

                            Coq au Vin ~ Weeknight Style

               (‘weeknight style’, code for QUICK & EASY.)

At first I was a bit hesitant to try this recipe. I mean, “quick and easy” Coq au Vin??   Those weren’t words that go together.

I immediately told myself that I’d rather make my classic Coq au Vin over the weekend, when I had the time and knew it would come out right.

So this sat in my recipe book for, oh…about 6 months. Just collecting dust. (which is quite sad, now that I know how delicious it is).

Until one Tuesday night approached and I didn’t know what to make for dinner. I was at a loss. It was getting late. I was getting hungry. (And grumpy). All I knew was I wanted to make a chicken dish; I wanted it to be satisfying & hearty; and I wanted to make it fast.

Hmm. Not usually the easiest combination of recipe attributes to find, right?!  :)

So I rummaged through my recipe book and came across THIS. Running out of time and feeling frustrated, I thought “oh, what the hell”, dusted off the recipe and decided to give her a try.

And I’m OH SO GLAD I did!

I’m normally not a big fan of short-cuts in the kitchen. Often times, people don’t do them right and the end result is skimping on ingredients, or skimping on technique… which translates into skimping on flavor…which translates into a YUCKY DISH.

But this recipe is NOT like that. The shortcuts taken here are clever; well done; and absolutely delicious.

When I tasted the first bite, my brain actually thought it had been simmering on the stove for 8 hours. The flavors were well-developed, seasoned, complex, rich and amazing.

It’s definitely a keeper. Not just for weeknights…but for anytime you feel a little too lazy to make the classic version. 

(and the best part? no one will know the difference! but shhhh…let’s just keep that between you and me.)

Here’s what you need:

7-8 slices center-cut bacon, coarsely chopped

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

      **i realize most coq au vins call for chicken thighs, and understandably due to their moist dark-meat qualities. but we really didn’t miss it in this recipe. however, feel free to add or substitute dark meat if you want to.

3 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced

3-4 carrots, sliced abt a 1/2-inch thick, on the diagonal

8 large shallots, halved through root end

4-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (we’re garlic lovers)

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

     *tip: use a great-quality wine - it makes a world of a difference! i used byron pinot noir, santa barbara; 2009. i’m no wine connoisseur, but it’s a great & fairly affordable bottle.

1 and 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

4 tsp all-purpose flour

16-ounce package wide egg noodles, cooked al dente

                                         YUMMMM!

Ok, here’s what to do:

Preheat the oven to 250.

Saute bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl.

Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper. Add to bacon drippings in skillet. Sauté until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side; transfer to pie dish (reserve skillet).

Place chicken breasts in preheated 250 oven to keep warm.

Add carrots to the same skillet (building layers of flavor here); sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper.

Saute for about 4 minutes, then add the mushrooms and shallots and, again, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. If the pan gets dry, add a little olive oil and/or butter.

Sauté all together until softened & brown. (time will vary depending on your stove).

Add garlic & a handful of parsley; toss and saute for a minute.

Add wine, 1 1/4 cups broth, bacon, and remaining parsley.

Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Boil 10 minutes.

(at this point you can bring water to a boil in a separate sauce pan and cook your egg noodles.)

Meanwhile, place flour in small cup. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture to sauce.

Cook until sauce thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. (once thickened, it should look thick, rich and hearty, like the pic below)

Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange chicken on platter.

Add chicken juices from the pie dish into sauce, then spoon all of your sauce over the chicken breasts.

Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley.

If you’re serving this for company, you can make a separate platter of buttered egg noodles stirred with some fresh-chopped parsley & mixed with some of the pan sauce.

But since this was a no-fuss weeknight dinner with just myself & the hubby, we mixed the egg noodles with the sauce RIGHT in the pan, and scooped them straight from there onto the plate.

Then I placed one chicken breast over each plate of egg noodles and spooned a generous amount of sauce on top. Sprinkle each plate with some extra chopped parsley for ganish, and VOILA!

A decadent weeknight Coq au Vin, done in about 45 minutes (start to finish!)

It’s so good, you’ll want to lick the plate clean. Seriously.

There’s that great depth of flavor from cooked-down red wine, typical of a Coq au Vin dish done right. You also get the rich saltiness from the bacon; a caramelized onion-y flavor from the shallots; a meatiness from the portabella mushrooms & carrots, and just a decadent richness from the sauce in general. The  chicken breasts were juicy & perfectly cooked. Combined with those buttery egg noodles….perfection.

(recipe adapted from bon appetit, oct 2010)

Hope you enjoy!