Deglaze with one and a half bottles of the wine and bring to the boil. Add the peppercorns, garlic, thyme, sugar and bay leaves. Add the beetroot, carrot, onion and celery, and fry until the vegetables are lightly coloured.
#Chicken coq au vin recipe cracked
Garnish with the chopped parsley and cracked pepper.To make the marinade, heat the oil in a pan that's large enough to hold 2 litres of liquid.
#Chicken coq au vin recipe skin
Drain half of the rendered pork fat and discard. Remove the salt pork with a slotted spoon, and set aside.Add the salt pork to a Dutch oven, and cook on medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp. Cut the salt pork into strips ¼-inch wide.Roughly chop the parsley and set aside for the garnish. Strip the rosemary leaves off the sprig, then finely chop the leaves.Use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots.Give them a fine chop because rosemary is sturdy and doesn't always cook as quickly as other herbs. Finally, strip the rosemary sprigs of their leaves by holding the stem at the tip and then pulling the leaves downward – they'll come right off in your hand. Whichever you choose, rough chop it, and set it aside for later. Italian parsley has a pronounced herbal flavor that will balance the richness of the final dish. So use a vegetable peeler, and peel the carrots first – it will take you only two minutes, tops! Peel the skin off the onion, and chop it into about 1/2-inch diced pieces. When it's cooked, that layer shrivels and turns bitter, thus ruining the carrots' natural sweetness. Carrots have a protective layer that protects them while they're growing in the ground. And it's true, peeled carrots make a nice presentation. You may think that peeling the carrots before chopping them just gives you pretty carrots. There isn't much prep for Lee's coq au vin, which is always helpful when you need to get dinner on the table in a jiffy.
Another good substitution that Lee suggests is pancetta, the unsmoked Italian bacon. Bacon, though, adds a smoky flavor, unless you blanch it first. It's much saltier than bacon, which is often substituted for salt pork. Salt pork is a traditional ingredient for both coq au vin and beef bourguignon. Buy a good red wine, not a cheapo cooking wine, which will give the coq au vin's sauce a harsh, bitter taste. For the wine, Lee recommends a burgundy or a pinot noir varietal. Drumsticks are also excellent for coq au vin, and they'll cook the same way and in the same amount of time as the thighs. If you prefer to use chicken breast, you'll need to cut them so they're the same size, and reduce the simmering time to avoid having them dry out and get stringy. Since it will be simmered for 30 minutes, it's better to use chicken thighs, not only because they're more flavorful, but they also stay juicy when braised, baked, or broiled. The chicken and wine are the star ingredients in coq au vin, although salt pork plays an important supporting role.