Coq au Vin _ A good & hearty winter meal

Coq au Vin

Courtesy of Canadian Living Jan 2005

Yep, I had been hanging onto this recipe for that long

A definite hit in our household

Mouth watering aromas filled the house while dish is simmering on stove

Quite easy to prepare

The puffed pastry looks like a lot of work but surprisingly easy to do

Not only added that special touch but was very tasty too!

Dish fed 4 and I was able to freeze 2 servings for another day

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)

2 T butter

2 cups pearl onions

2 cups button mushrooms

1 cup chopped onions

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

pinch of salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

1.5 cups of wine (half a bottle, I used South African Cabernet Sauvignon)

1.5 cups of chicken broth

2 T of tomato paste

1 T brandy

2 T chopped fresh parsley

Puff Pastry Stars: 

1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

In a deep stir fry pan, heat 1 T butter over medium high heat.  Brown chicken in batches, about 10 min.  Remove to plate.

Drain fat from pan, add pearl onions and mushrooms and fry until brown.  About 5 mins.  Transfer to a separate plate. 

Add remaining butter to pan, fry chopped onions, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf until onions have softened, about 8 mins.

Add wine, stock, tomato paste and brandy; bring to boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up any brown bits.  Return chicken to pan.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 mins.

Return mushroom mixture to pan; simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until reduced to consistency of maple syrup and juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 20 mins.  Discard bay leave.  Stir in parsley.

Puff Pastry Stars:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to ¼ inch thickness.  Using cooking cutters to cut out shapes/stars of various sizes.  Place on baking sheet; brush with egg.  Bake at 400 F until golden brown; about 15 mins.