Although traditional Coq au Vin uses a chicken that lived well beyond the age of tender meat, and therefore requires hours of slow cooking to break the connective tissue down (gourmands will claim the rooster will have better flavor), this recipe is more about ease of preparation. using a broiler or fryer chicken will eliminate the need for a long cooking process.
2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts, split with the middle cartilage removed.
1/4 cup of flour for dusting the chicken
6 strips of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch wide pieces
Olive oil to coat the bottom of your pan
1 crushed clove of garlic
8 oz mushrooms
1 medium white onion, cut into long strips
1 peeled carrot, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cups of red wine (pinot noir works well with this chicken).
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbs of butter
Salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the pan, and add the bacon. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Add the chicken to the pan, being careful not to cover the bacon with the chicken. Cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, turning only once during the process. Watch the bacon carefully and remove if it appears it is starting to burn.
Remove the chicken and bacon. Place the chicken inside an aluminum foil tent and set the bacon aside.
Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pan, once the mushrooms start to shrink in size, add the onion and carrots, cooking until the onion turns translucent. Add the wine and thyme and simmer until the wine is reduced by 1/2 of its original volume.
Add the butter in 4 chunks, whisking vigorously with each addition. Don't add another butter chunk until the previous chunk is completely incorporated.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
At this point, the sauce should be relatively thick, due to the flour left in the pan from the chicken. If, however, it remains thin, combine 1 tablespoon flour, and 1 tablespoon butter and knead together (chefs call this beurre manie). Break the dough up and whisk it into the wine reduction to thicken. Continue making and adding more beurre manie as necessary until desired thickness is achieved.
Pour the reduction over the top of the chicken, garnish with the bacon and serve.
