<p>Anybody got an uncomplicated recipe? I have a recipe from a DVD of Alton Brown’s ‘Good Eats’ show. But the more I think about it the more it seems a bit complicated, particularly the part where Brown lets the chicken marinate overnight (or over several days). Also, Brown insists that Pinot Noir wine be used, whereas I’m curious as to if the already-opened bottle of red stuff (neither Pinot Noir nor Burgundy) that I have will suffice. I have an alternative Coq Au Vin recipe from an old cookbook, but I suspect it’s faulty because it calls for fairly quick cooking, as opposed to Alton Brown. What to do?</p>
<p>[Quick</a> Coq au Vin Recipe at Epicurious.com](<a href=“http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quick-Coq-au-Vin-241656]Quick”>http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quick-Coq-au-Vin-241656)</p>
<p>EPICURIOUS TO THE RESCUE
Alton Brown makes everything more confusing than it need be.
(fyi I would add a bit of tomato paste to the sauce)</p>
<p>I personally think that Pinot Noir is massive overkill for this… any good, dry red wine should be fine. Basically if you would drink it, it will be fine to cook with it. For an alternative recipe try this site:</p>
<p>[Hulu</a> - Saturday Night Live: The French Chef](<a href=“http://www.hulu.com/watch/3523/saturday-night-live-the-french-chef]Hulu”>http://www.hulu.com/watch/3523/saturday-night-live-the-french-chef)</p>
<p>I like Marc Bittman’s Coq au Vin from The Best Recipes in the World. He says burgundy (pinot noir) or other fruit red wine. </p>
<p>I’m too lazy to type out the recipe, but basically you saute 1/4 lb. bacon in a big pan with a lid. Then add a chopped onion (or pearl onions) and the chicken skin side down. Add some garlic when chicken is half done salt and pepper. Remove some fat add wine, herbs and cook about 20 minutes. You add mushrooms at the end boil and reduce sauce by about 3/4 and add some butter at the end. The breasts can be removed a little earlier than the rest.</p>
<p>I have a simplesimplesimple recipe:</p>
<p>Chicken with Artichockes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes</p>
<p>Basically, you just brown some sun-dried tomatoes (in a little of the oil they come in) in a skillet. Add a large bottle of marinated artichokes, drained. Maybe throw in some capers if you’re feeling frisky.</p>
<p>Once the veggies are brown, add either a cup of wine or a cup of chicken broth. Simmer for a few minutes. I like to add a quarter cup of water with two tablespoons of corn starch dissolved in it at this point.</p>
<p>Mix it up for a while, simmer a bit longer, and pour it all over four boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cover and bake at 350 for about an hour. Remove cover and brown under broiler so it looks pretty.</p>
<p>Serve with rice and a salad.</p>
<p>This is making me think of an episode of Top Chef where somebody made coq au vin, and Tom Colicchio criticized it for not really being coq au vin, though it was delicious.</p>
<p>This is what I gathered from that. Coq au vin is supposed to be made from an old stringy rooster and the long marinating and cooking times are to make it tender. Using a younger chicken can give you a remarkably similar dish without the time that might not technically be coq au vin. (I am a vegetarian and have never had coq au vin, so I may be totally wrong about this).</p>
<p>VeryHappy, thanks for sharing that recipe! Now I know what I’ll be making for dinner tonight since I already have all of the ingredients, including capers!</p>
<p>^^^Bunsen, let me know what you think. It really couldn’t be easier, unless you didn’t even bother to brown the tomatoes and the artichokes.</p>
<p>eireann—much of the American coq au vin recipes ARE simply chicken and veg braised in wine. Just try and find a good old fashioned stringy rooster or the pigs blood to thicken the sauce!</p>
<p>Notably, Alton Brown left the blood out of his recipe. Not on hand at many supermarkets anyway. Every now and then one of the Latin markets near me will have fowl or capon, but no chicken blood.</p>
<p>I think that the long cooking time for modern, readily available young chicken makes it kinda dry and grainy. I reduce the cookig time for my traditional coq au vin.</p>
<p>I love the taste of coq au vin, however, 99% of the time, the chicken falls off the bones and I feel uneasy about whether or not there are small bones in the sauce/juices… and yet you need the bones for flavor, yes? am I doing something wrong? </p>
<p>I usually go with beef bourguignon instead…though VeryHappy may be my new cooking idol… love the “throw in some capers if you are feeling frisky” line…</p>
<p>does anyone have a delish Chicken Francaise? there was a restaurant in Portland (long time closed now) that used to have a wonderful dish, with lemon and tomatoes and wine, probably garlic and capers too… it was light yet t a s t y!!</p>
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</p>
<p>Awwwww . . . . </p>
<p>Let’s wait and see what BunsenBurner says about my recipe before you bow down before me . . .</p>
<p>ewww…pig blood.
Planning to try Very Happy’s recipe…looks terrific.
I do a similar thing with tilapia although I just make it in one big pan. I like the idea of throwing in the oven for an hour…good for company.</p>
<p>I had a fabulous recipe for Coq Au Vin from Sheila Luikens that was in Parade magazine about 5 or 6 years ago. I’ve lost it . . . does anyone happn to have a copy???</p>
<p>The best chicken dinner - rotisserie chicken from Costco, $4.99. Cannot beat price/taste.</p>
<p>Don’t call it Coq au Vin… call it chicken in wine sauce, and a whole new world opens up. One of the only dishes my mother could cook was pounded chicken breasts with mushrooms and wine. It was really very good, and it didn’t take much time. Pound chicken breasts very thin, dust with flour/salt/pepper, brown (which will cook them through if they’re thin enough) quickly in olive oil, put aside on a hot plate until they’re all done. When done, deglaze the pan by pouring about a cup of wine (red or white, just make sure you’d be willing to drink it) into the pan and bringing it to a boil. Add a bit of cream if you have it. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve. (Ooops, I forgot: saute the mushrooms in the olive oil before you start. Put aside. Add them back into the sauce to heat back up.)</p>
<p>dmd77, I had a very similar chicken with mushrooms recipe several years ago from a Chicken Cookbook. It included scallions. Quite tasty. And fast cooking too!!</p>
<p>Well, yes, you can add all sorts of things to the base recipe. Grapes work well if you use white wine (cut them in half or smaller). Scallions or baby onions. Etc.</p>
<p>VeryHappy, I’m happy to report that my husband really enjoyed the artichoke/sundried tomato chicken dish (made whith zinfandel wine)! I put lots of capers, garlic, red onions, and home-grown basil in it as well. While the chicken was in the oven, H and I went for a 2.5 mile run. I served the chicken with some buckwheat pilaf and the zinfandel leftovers 
H just peeked over my shoulder and said “Tell her hi and thanks!” :)</p>
<p>If anyone needs a rooster for the classic Coq au vin, I know just the one, he lives a couple of houses down the street. I’ll be happy to see my 5 am wake up calls go away!</p>