Coq au Vin Blanc with Pearl Onions
Coq au vin is usually made with red, but the white-wine version from the Alsace is brighter and just as comforting. Chicken thighs braise slowly with pearl onions, mushrooms, and a little cream stirred in at the end. Serve it over buttered noodles or with a heel of bread to catch the sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 150g lardons or diced bacon
- 200g pearl onions, peeled
- 250g button mushrooms, halved
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 350ml dry white wine
- 250ml chicken stock
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 100ml double cream
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
- Season the chicken well. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat and brown the thighs skin-side down until deeply golden, then turn and brown the other side. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, cook the lardons until crisp. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms and saute until golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic for the last minute.
- Pour in the white wine and scrape the base clean. Add the stock and thyme and bring to a simmer.
- Nestle the chicken back in, skin-side up, cover partly, and braise gently for 35 minutes until the meat is tender.
- Lift out the chicken. Stir the cream into the sauce and simmer 3 minutes to thicken. Return the chicken, spoon the sauce over, and serve.