Coq au Vin with Chicken Thighs

Steps

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and

   season (how to season to taste)

   Season to taste Add salt (and pepper or acid) bit by bit, tasting as you go, until the food tastes fully of itself. 1. Season meat and vegetables before cooking, holding the salt high so it falls evenly.2. Taste the dish near the end with a clean spoon.3. If it tastes flat, add a pinch of salt, stir and taste again.4. If it tastes heavy or dull, a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar brightens it.5. Stop when another pinch wouldn't make it better. Done when: The flavors are clear and bright, not flat and not salty. Safety: Don't taste dishes that hold raw meat, poultry or eggs; season them by the recipe's amounts and adjust after cooking.How to season to taste: mistakes to avoid

   it all over with the salt and pepper.
2. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring now and then, until crisp. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and leave the fat in the pot.
   ⏱ Crisp bacon: 8 min
3. Raise the heat to medium-high.

   Brown (how to brown)

   Brown Cook food in a hot pan until its surface turns brown, which adds rich, roasted flavor. 1. Pat the food dry; for ground meat, let the pan get hot first.2. Add a little oil and spread the food in one layer.3. Leave it alone for a few minutes so the bottom browns, then turn or break it up.4. Work in batches if it won't fit in one layer.5. Pour off extra fat if the recipe says to. Done when: Most surfaces are brown, not gray, and the bottom of the pan has browned bits (they are flavor, not burn). Safety: Hot oil spatters: dry the food first, lay it in the pan moving away from you, and keep a lid nearby. Never put water on an oil fire; slide the lid over it and turn off the heat. Browned outside doesn't mean cooked inside: ground beef needs 160°F, poultry 165°F.How to brown meat and vegetables: mistakes to avoid

   the chicken skin side down in two batches until the skin is deep golden, turn briefly, then move it to a plate.
   ⏱ Brown chicken: 10 min
4. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Add the mushrooms, carrots and onion and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms brown.
   ⏱ Brown vegetables: 8 min
5. Stir in the garlic, flour and tomato paste and cook until no dry flour shows.
   ⏱ Cook flour: 1 min
6. Pour in the wine and

   scrape up the browned bits (how to deglaze)

   Deglaze Pour liquid into a hot pan and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom, which hold a lot of flavor. 1. After browning, pour off all but a spoonful of fat.2. With the pan still hot, pour in wine, broth or water; it will sizzle and steam.3. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon or flat spatula until the brown layer dissolves.4. Let it bubble down, as the recipe says, into the base of a sauce. Done when: The bottom of the pan is clean and the liquid has turned brown and tasty. Safety: Take the pan off the flame before pouring in wine or spirits, and turn your face away from the steam.How to deglaze a pan: mistakes to avoid

   from the bottom, then add the broth, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a

   simmer (how to simmer)

   Simmer Cook liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles breaking the surface now and then. 1. Bring the liquid up over medium-high heat.2. As soon as bubbles rise steadily, turn the heat down.3. Adjust until only a few small bubbles break the surface every second or two.4. Stir now and then and check that it hasn't crept back to a boil. Done when: You see lazy, small bubbles, not a rolling boil. A "bare" simmer has just a bubble here and there. Safety: Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to simmer: mistakes to avoid

   .
   ⏱ Bring to a simmer: 5 min
7. Nestle the chicken in skin side up with any juices from the plate and the bacon. Cover and simmer gently until the chicken is tender and reads at least 165°F (74°C) near the bone.
   ⏱ Braise: 40 min
8. Lift the chicken onto a platter.

   Boil (how to boil)

   Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid

   the sauce uncovered until it is glossy and

   coats a spoon (how to coat the back of a spoon)

   Coat the back of a spoon A simple test for when a sauce or custard has thickened enough. 1. Dip a spoon into the sauce and lift it out.2. Turn it over and look at the back.3. Draw a line through the sauce on the spoon with your finger.4. If the line stays clean and the sauce doesn't run into it, it is ready. Done when: The sauce clings in an even, opaque layer and your finger line holds. Safety: Let the spoon cool for a second before you touch it; custards should reach 160°F.How to tell when a sauce coats a spoon: mistakes to avoid

   .
   ⏱ Reduce sauce: 8 min
9. Turn off the heat, pick out the thyme stems and bay leaf and swirl in the butter. Spoon the sauce and vegetables over the chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

• Use a red wine you would happily drink; it becomes most of the sauce.
• Serve it over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, or with crusty bread for the sauce.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat until 165°F.

Make ahead

Make it a day ahead and refrigerate it in the pot; lift off the fat, then reheat gently on the stove.

Cook once, eat twice: Double it (12 servings instead of 6), eat half and freeze the other half. It keeps 3 months frozen, by the storage note above. Print a freezer label · More freezer meals

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: carrots (September to March).