Coq au Vin from @MaddieDayAuthor plus #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here. I'm super excited to launch a new series in eleven days! Murder Uncorked is the first Cece Barton Mystery and takes place in northern California wine country.

Our New England weather recently turned much cooler, and I made a big pot of Coq au Vin for a group of women friends. The Flick Chicks have been meeting to drink wine, eat high-fat appetizers and dinner, and sometimes watch a movie for over thirty years, and it was my turn to host. 

What better to serve them than a chicken stew flavored with red wine? Alas, no picture of us with our full plates!

And, while Cece herself is a pescatarian - a vegetarian who also eats seafood - and wouldn't touch a chicken-based dish, I thought this was a great recipe to share with you all. Because wine! 

I have one last advance copy of Murder Uncorked to a commenter, and I'll send another reader one of my special Murder Uncorked wine bags (wine not included...). If you don't drink, you can carry soda or a baguette and a bunch of flowers in the tote, or give it to an imbibing friend.

I adapted this recipe from Julia Child's classic. It has a few steps, but isn't hard at all. Like many stews, it's almost better the next day.

Coq au Vin

Ingredients

1/2 cup lardons (2 rashers of bacon cut into 1/2" ribbons)

2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs and breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (1-2" square)

Salt and pepper

1 onion, minced

3 tablespoons flour

3/4 pound mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup brandy

2 cups red wine

2 cups brown chicken or turkey stock

6 cloves roasted garlic

1 tablespoon tomato paste (not shown in photo)

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a big Dutch oven and saute lardons for a few minutes until lightly browned. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a dish.

Wait for pan to reheat to moderately hot. Add some of the chicken, not crowding the pieces. Let brown, turn, and let other side brown. Remove to a large plate and repeat browning until all is done. Return all chicken to pan.

In a separate skillet, melt butter on a medium heat. Add onions and saute for several minutes. Add mushrooms and cook together until both vegetables are wilted. 

Add to chicken pot. Pour in brandy (or cognac), shake pan a few times, and ignite alcohol with a match or long lighter. Let flame a minute, then extinguish with pan cover. Lower heat to medium low. Sprinkle chicken with flour and turn to make sure all is coated.

Stir in wine, stock, lardons, garlic, and tomato paste. Add minced rosemary and parsley. Cover and simmer slowly for 25-30 minutes. 

Adjust salt and pepper. Simmer another five minutes. 

If sauce is too thin, boil rapidly to reduce, stirring frequently. If it's too thick, thin out with spoonfuls of stock or wine.

Enjoy with buttered, herbed fresh potatoes or with crusty bread.

Readers: What's your favorite chicken stew or recipe featuring wine (or both)? I'll send one commenter a wine tote and the ARC of Murder Uncorked to another. To enter the giveaway, be sure to leave your email address.

🍷🐔 📚

My next book to release is Murder Uncorked featuring my new wine bar manager Cece Barton.

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We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.