Poulet au Vin

I won't call this coq au vin since I didn't use a rooster. I'm fresh out of old roosters at the moment. I need to ask my dad to send me some. (I'm not kidding. My dad has roosters. My dad does not live in the country. His roosters are in the heart of San Diego, California.)

I've been hearing so much about Julia Child in the past weeks so I thought about a dish she is famous for. This is not her recipe. It is my lazy stovetop method. I didn't do any oven braising. I don't think it is all that necessary when you are not using a rooster or an old stewing hen. I'm using all natural chicken thighs and drums.

Shhh...Don't tell anyone but I used frozen wine. I am the only one who drinks wine in the house and with my various medications and because I am now a lightweight, I have to watch how much I drink. A whole bottle doesn't get consumed very quickly so I freeze them in ice cube trays or in 2-cup portions so that I can add them to different sauces and dishes.

The pictures are horrible. How do you take pretty pictures of a not so pretty dish? It is the same way I feel about photographing cassoulet. Love the stuff (except for the duck confit) but doesn't photograph well.

Poulet au Vin

8 ounces bacon, diced
3 chicken leg quarters, cut into drums and thighs
3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 celery rib diced
2 cloves garlic
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 teaspoons parsley
½ teaspoon rosemary
½ teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups red wine
1 tablespoons sugar
splash lemon juice
salt
pepper

1. In dutch oven, render bacon. Remove bacon and reserve.
2. Brown chicken in rendered bacon fat. Transfer chicken onto a platter.
3. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and cook until soft. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender. Add the flour to make a semi-roux for thickening (the culinary term is singer and pronounced san-jay). Add parsley, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves.
4. Deglaze with wine, bring to a low boil and cook uncovered about 10 minutes. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is tender (approximately 40 minutes). Add sugar, lemon juice and adjust seasoning.

I didn't have thick cut bacon or lardons so the regular bacon went into the pot.

Damn pot doesn't brown very well but I didn't feel like using a regular cast iron to brown and then transferring pots.

Mirepoix?

Button mushrooms. The grocery store was out of my usual baby bellas aka creminis.

Throw the chicken back in.

Add the wine.

Braise until chicken is cooked through.