Nothing says comfort food better than coq au vin. And no time is better for comfort food than the night before Christmas.
I took one whole chicken and butchered it up into pieces. These were lightly dredged with seasoned flour.
Into the pot I started with some bacon. Once the fat was rendered I tossed in a whole head of garlic.
The garlic was removed and some onions and mushrooms were sautéed in the pot with the bacon fat.
The mushrooms were removed. A bit of olive oil was added to the pot and the chicken pieces were browned on all sides. Then in went a cup of red wine. I used a nice Chianti for this one but a Pinot Noir would be great too. When the pan was deglazed I added two cups of chicken broth and some dried thyme. The chicken was stewed for about 15 minutes and then the bacon, garlic, mushrooms and onions were added back to the pot. This was stewed for another 15 minutes or so. The gravy was thickened with a bit of butter and flour and everything was served on a bed of mashed potatoes. YUMMY!
Anything with a whole head of garlic is a good start! I'll definitely be back…