Quick Coq au Vin

Many serious cooks I know have mixed feelings about Rachael Ray. Love her or hate her, I think she has a pretty great concept – good food that doesn’t require unusual ingredients and can be made quickly. And I must say, her recipes are usually pretty darn tasty. This recipe comes from Rachael’s original 30 Minute Meals cookbook, released before she became hugely famous.

Coq au vin is a traditional French dish consisting of chicken cooked in wine. In France, the type of wine used varies depending on the region of the country, but red wine is the most commonly used. This recipe is a sped up take on the classic, using a combination of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs for a quicker cook time. The sauce is rich and tasty and goes wonderfully over egg noodles.

Quick Coq au Vin
Adapted from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals

Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs)
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
14 oz. chicken broth
3-4 T. tomato paste
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch fresh thyme, leaves stripped from stem and chopped (about 3 T.)
Course salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Cut the chicken into large pieces. Combine flour, salt and pepper to taste. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer. Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan.



Add mushrooms, garlic, and onions to pan. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add red wine and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add chicken broth and stir to combine. Return chicken to the pan and stir to combine. Sprinkle thyme over the chicken mixture.


Bring to a boil. Stir in tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve over hot egg noodles.