Slow Cooker Coq au Vin

COQ AU VIN


I made this for Maria's birthday, with an apple-pear pie for dessert . I'd give it 4 stars on the second day and three on the first day (the day Maria ate it, sad to say). Reason is I forgot to put in the bacon! It didn't smell quite right all the time it was cooking, but I couldn't figure out what was just slightly off. (I hoped it wasn't the chicken....|). When I tasted it, I thought, It's flat.... no salt in the recipe was a mistake. So I gave it some of that. I moved the chicken and vegetables into another dish and boiled down the sauce a bit. I added a sprinkling of dried herb. I poured a little heavy cream in it. Only as I was packing everything up to head off to Dobies Jr. did I see the four pieces of extra-thick bacon, nicely sliced and browned, on a dish I'd placed them in until I needed them|...  Such is life with this enthusiastic but inconsistent cook. After the birthday dinner, I put the dish in the freezer for 10 days and was pleased to notice the texture of the dish did not seem to change. The sauce just got better with a slow, bacon-laden warming. This recipe is from Whole Foods. I left out the onion and added 20 small pearl onions, which was in Julia Child"s original recipe. I used this one because |Child also includes a slug of Cognac, which I did not have.

We had a nice, freshly baked crusty whole grain bread with it, which I liked a lot. The first course, several cheeses and several tiny chocolate  truffles, was a nice way to keep our mouths busy, although Maria decided to defer the chocolates to another time. Nadia would never get the idea of "just a tiny bite" her mom said, which is true. She probably would have polished off all the cheese if she'd seen it on the table.|Her reaction to the Coq au Vin was mildly negative. She took a couple of bites and didn't finish the rest. You can never tell with her--there are some surprisingly complex, unusual foods that she has no problem with

Ingredients


8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 slices bacon roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil divided
• 1 (12-ounce) package white or baby bella mushrooms quartered
• 2 carrots chopped
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 large sprigs fresh thyme
• a little ground black pepper

Method

Arrange chicken on a large sheet of waxed paper. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly coat chicken all over with flour and set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until golden and just crisp, 3 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside. Discard drippings and wipe out skillet. Melt 2 tablespoons butter (or heat oil, if using) in same skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large plate as done and set aside.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter or oil in same skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until edges begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, onions, garlic and salt and cook until vegetables just begin to soften. Transfer vegetables and broth to crock pot. Arrange chicken on top. Sprinkle bacon over chicken. Add wine and thyme sprigs. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.