Coq Au Vin

Last week I began to prep for my first at-home cooking lessons that are starting at the end of next week.  I took out and defrosted a whole chicken that has been chilling in my freezer the past couple of weeks.  First I broke it down into it's 8 parts and let them dry out on racks in the fridge while I made some stock out of the backbone.  Then I began work on my version Coq Au Vin, which is one of the dishes I plan to teach my 'student' on our second session.  

It's a pretty simple version of Coq Au Vin that some may scoff at, but it tastes good and it's fast enough to cook anytime.  

First I sauté and then remove some extra thick cut bacon and then brown the (well salted and dried) chicken in the hot bacon fat.  I remove the chicken and add my mushrooms to saute` and removed them and then added my clery and carrots.  After a few minutes I add my red wine, stock, some tomato paste and a couple sprigs of thyme.  When the liquid gets hot, I taste and season.  I put back the chicken, cover the pot and put it in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.  My chicken was kind of a skinny bird, so after 30 minutes it was cooked through.  I removed the chicken and strained the sauce twice.  I put it back into the pot and let it thicken up and skimmed the extra fat from the sauce.  I added the mushrooms, bacon and chicken and let it all stay warm in the oven uncovered while I made my dairy free mashed potatoes: boil Idaho potatoes in salted water, put them through the food mill and add vegan butter, almond milk and some olive oil, salt and pepper.  Creamy, delicious, no stomach aches!  

Plate, serve and enjoy!

Rendered Bacon

Browned Chicken

Sautéed Vegetables

Coq Au Vin over mashed potatoes.  Gluten and Dairy Free.