Quick coq au vin

Quick coq au vin

Adapted from “365 Great 20-Minute Meals,” by Beverly Cox, a screaming deal at less than $6 on the discount shelf. Did it take 20 minutes? Oh, hell to the no. The amount of liquid involved takes up to 15 minutes to reduce, not the 5 suggested by the original recipe, with results varying on your stovetop. But it does eventually reduce to a glossy, thick bacon-flavored sauce, and in the grand scheme of coq au vin dishes, qualifies as quick au vin.

Ingredients:

6 slices of bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

¼ cup flour mixed with ¼ teaspoon pepper

6 boneless, skinless thighs

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1½ cup red wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 10-ounce package pearl onions, peeled

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

This much liquid takes time to boil down,
but the concentrated results are tasty.

Method:

Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove from pan and drain.

Add olive oil to bacon drippings if needed to make 3 tablespoons. Dredge chicken in flour-pepper mixture. Brown chicken on both sides, then remove from pan and set aside.

Add mushrooms and pearl onions to pan and cooked until mushrooms soften and onions pick up color, about 5 minutes. Add broth, red wine, thyme leaves and chicken to pan. Raise heat to high and cook until sauce is reduced. Scatter bacon over chicken and serve.

Rating: Not as fast as billed, and obviously it doesn’t have the time to develop the nuanced flavors of traditional coq au vin, but it saves you hours and or days of prep time, while imparting the same general overall flavors. A hearty, flavorful weeknight supper.