Coq au vin

Coq au vin French pronunciation: [kɔk o vɛ̃] (lit. 'rooster in wine') is a French braise of chicken cooked with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic.

While the wine is typically Burgundy wine, many regions of France have variants of coq au vin using the local wine, such as coq au vin jaune (Jura), coq au Riesling (Alsace), coq au Champagne, and so on.

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History:
Various legends trace coq au vin to ancient Gaul and Julius Caesar, but the recipe was not documented until the early 20th century; it is generally accepted that it existed as a rustic dish long before that. A somewhat similar recipe, poulet au vin blanc, appeared in an 1864 cookbook.

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Preparation:
Although the word "coq" in French means "rooster", and tough birds with lots of connective tissue benefit from braising, most coq au vin recipes call for capon or chicken.


Standard recipes call for a chicken, red wine (pinot noir, burgundy, beaujolais nouveau, or zinfandel), lardons (salt pork), button mushrooms, onions, often garlic, and sometimes brandy. Recipes with vin jaune may specify morels instead of white mushrooms. The preparation is similar in many respects to beef bourguignon. The chicken is first marinated in wine, then seared in fat and slowly simmered until tender. The traditional seasonings are salt, pepper, thyme, parsley and bay leaf, usually in the form of a bouquet garni. The juices are thickened either by making a small roux at the beginning of cooking, or by adding blood at the end.