A Coq Au Vin (in half the time!)



Or chicken and wine for those not fluent in french. Thanks to Sarah at Everyday Paleo, this is a paleo take on a classic dish my best friend and I used to make for our French club in high school which would take hours to prepare and cook, which now only takes about 30 minutes!

A Coq Au Vin
Ingredients:
12 oz bacon, diced
1 lb pearl onions (I don't usually have these on hand so I'll use regular white onions diced.)
4 garlic cloves, minced (I usually add more as Kevin loves garlic.)
2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced (I'm not a mushroom eater, so I leave these out.)
2 lbs chicken breast, cut in half lengthwise (or you can use chicken tenders)
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
½ cup red wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp poultry seasoning (To make your own poultry seasoning, combine 3 parts thyme, 2 parts sage, 2 parts marjoram, 1 part rosemary, and 1 part pepper. You can add a pinch of nutmeg, oregano, or savory if you want.)

Directions:
In a big pot brown the diced bacon.  Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes. Remove the bacon mixture from the pot, leaving some of the grease.  Over medium high heat, sear the chicken breasts for 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown but not cooked through!  Remove the chicken and set aside. To make your sauce,  add the olive oil to the pot along with the wine.  Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk together.  Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, poultry seasoning and black pepper and simmer together for another 3-5 minutes.  Pour back into the sauce the bacon mixture and mix well.  Add the chicken back to the pot, covering as best you can with the sauce. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breasts.

Review:
A fantastic, quick and easy take on this classic recipe. I usually have all these ingredients on hand so it's very easy on a night when I have a ton of chicken and no idea what to make. It does take about 30 minutes in which you are working or watching it most of the time with lots of transfers from pot to plate and back, but the end result is worth it. It takes me back to high school french club, but with less than half the cooking time. Kevin is half french canadian so I was surprised he had never had this before, but he loves it. Of course anything with wine and bacon is usually a win. This is great for anyone who loves A Coq Au Vin, even if they don't follow a paleo diet. A new go-to dinner recipe. Yum!