A spin on the classic french dish Coq au Vin with white instead of red wine. I find that it is a bit lighter yet still delicious.
What you need
+ 4 lbs chicken tights, split
+ 1/4 cup canola oil
+ 1 medium onion, chopped
+ 1 medium carrot, chopped
+ 1 celery rib, chopped
+ 1 lb sliced mushrooms
+ 2 medium shallots, chopped
+ 1 1/2 cups dry Riesling
+ 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
+ 4 thyme sprigs
+ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
+ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
+ 1 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced
+ 1/2 cup crème fraîche
+ 2 teaspoons lemon juice
+ Salt and pepper
+ Finely chopped tarragon, for garnish
Preparing the ingredients…
Preheat the oven to 300°.
Roughly chop the onion and shallots
Dice the carrots and celery
Juice the lemon
Pat dry the chicken
Browning the chicken..
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add half of the chicken and cook over moderately high heat, turning, until browned, 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining chicken, then pour off the fat and wipe out the casserole.
Making the stock…
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of canola oil in the casserole. Add the onion, carrot, celery and shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits from the pot. Add the chicken stock and thyme and bring to a boil.
Braising the chicken in the stock…
Nestle the chicken in the casserole; cover and braise in the oven for 1 hour, until tender.
Meanwhile…
Meanwhile, in a very large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, without stirring, until well browned, 5 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Final steps
Transfer the chicken to a plate. Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl, pressing on the solids; skim off the fat. Return the braising liquid to the casserole and boil until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the crème fraîche and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and chicken to the sauce and simmer for 3 minutes. Garnish with tarragon and serve.
