Julia Child’s Cog Au Vin (Chicken and Wine)
Growing up my grandmother was a self taught chef. She absolutely loved to cook and soaked up as much knowledge about “gourmet” cooking as was available before the internet. She collected cookbooks and rarely missed an episode of Julia Child-The French Chef. Her aspirations really came to a pinnacle when my uncle went to culinary school in New Orleans. She lived vicariously through him from her small town kitchen. I grew up in the days when grandmothers made comfort food like fried chicken and meat loaf but that was not the case with mine. Even though she published a cookbook that included lots of old fashioned family recipes, some of her favorite dishes were French.
We dined instead on Beef Bourgeon, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Classic French Onion Soup, Quiche Lorraine, Souffles and Coq Au Vin. At one point, my Uncle Chris opened a French restaurant in my hometown and I loved eating there as a little girl. The big crocks of soup with the melted cheese and beautiful green salads with boiled eggs. And the bread… Even my dad started baking homemade French bread. We all had French fever.
Travelling to Paris last summer reignited the French fever. I looked up some of the old Julia Child videos from PBS and studied her techniques. What I realized that just like me (and my grandmother) she often cooked by feel. It is very difficult for me and it seems, Julia too, to be creative with precise measurements.
This is my take on the way Julia did Coq Au Vin, or chicken with wine, in her 1971 episode of The French Chef. As she says “one of the best chicken dishes you will ever taste”! Bon Appetit!
Coq Au Vin
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, cut onto parts a good idea to halve the breasts so all of the pieces cook evenly
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups good red wine such as a pinot noir or cotes du rhone
- 2 cups chicken or beef broth, homemade if possible
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 fresh sprig
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lb white mushrooms, quartered
- 1 sweet onion, cut into small wedges or peeled pearl onions (Julia's preference)
- 3 tbsp butter at room temperature
- 3 tbsp flour
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven .Brown the chicken skin side first until golden and crispy on medium heat. Turn and brown the other side as well. About 10-15 minutes total.
- Remove from heat and add the wine, bay leaves, thyme and enough broth to cover the chicken. Stir tomato paste into liquid around chicken.
- Place in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover for 10 minutes while preparing the vegetables.
- Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter to a sauté pan. Cook onions until tender and slightly browned. Add mushrooms and cook until tender and liquid is out. There can be a slight brown on them as well.
- After 10 minutes, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a plate. In a small bowl, add 2 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp of flour and stir until it is a smooth paste. Using a wire whisk, incorporate the paste into the sauce over medium heat until bubbling and starting to thicken.
- Add mushrooms and onions and chicken back to the pan and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes more.
- Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.