Coq au Rose’ with Lemon and Hazelnuts

KITCHEN LITTLE ESSENTIALS

To make this Coq au Rose with Lemon & Hazelnuts, you will need:

A large Dutch Oven

or

A Slow Cooker

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My Kitchen Little wouldn’t be complete without my favorite dinner recipe gracing its “pages.” Coq au Vin has always been my favorite – I never get tired of it – and this Coq au Rose’ is such lovely version of the classic. Here, we’ll swap out the traditional red wine for a lighter, crisper rose’ wine. This swap simply gives the finished dish a lighter feel and flavor and works well during the warmer months of the year.

Today I’m sharing two recipes with you, or, two versions of this Coq au Rose’ – a slow cooker version and a classic, Dutch oven version. Both are great: simple, straightforward and they’ll get you where you need to go all in due time.

The slow cooker version just gives you the ability to whip up the dish in advance and then let it cook slowly over the course of a day. I personally love this option, though, this time of year when the temperatures outside aren’t exactly conducive to keeping the stove/oven going for hours at a time.

The slow cooker saves us – it saves dinner!

What is Coq au Rose’?

Coq au Rose’ perfectly exemplifies the excellence with which French cookery honors the humble chicken. A wine-based chicken stew, Coq au Rose’ begins with bacon (or pancetta) and grows from there. To the smoky, fatty drippings, we’ll add the seasoned chicken pieces and get them nice and brown. Oh! About the chicken …

BONE-IN, SKIN-ON. Always and forever.

I suppose you could just use boneless, skinless chicken thighs to make this (I’ve had coq au vin prepared that way), but will be missing a good portion of its soul. That’s not the end of the world, but by taking the time to coax out extra flavor by browning the skin and allowing the bones to magically favor the entire pot, you’re going to wind up with something exceptionally delicious, rich and made the way it’s supposed to me made.

Anyway. After you’ve crisped up the bacon and then browned the chicken skin, you’ll add in the core veggies: carrots, onions, mushrooms. You could use cipollini onions if you can find them, but I usually can’t so I just cut up a medium-sized onion and call it good. After the veggies have gotten tender, I add the garlic (later so it doesn’t burn) and then I sprinkle in some flour. The flour will contribute to the thickening of the sauce just enough – a little bit does the job.

After that, in go the liquids: wine + chicken broth. We’ll add a squirt of Dijon mustard, give it a stir, and then slide the chicken back in. Top with the bacon, cover with the lid, and then bake for 2.5 hours.

Your kitchen will never smell better than this.

A Few Tips & Tricks:

To finish off this recipe with a burst of freshness and crunch, I like to add a scattering of chopped hazelnuts (you could use walnuts) and some lemon zest. Just the addition of these two things brings the dish up a notch, adding a punch of lovely acidity and a necessary crunch.

In this recipe, I also have suggested some seasonal veggie add-ins that are totally optional but really lovely, if you want to bump up the recipe a smidge. Because it’s summer, I would throw in a sliced summer squash and a couple handfuls of sugar snap peas – just during the last 30 minutes of cook time.

In the fall and winter moths, I’ll add cubed butternut squash, pumpkin or sliced half moons of delicata squash to the pot. The season can be your guide, here, as is so often the case, and I highly recommend playing around with what’s looking good at your store and throwing it into the pot.

Recipes like this are perfect for seasonal tweaks and tinkering.

Coq au Rose with Lemon & Hazelnuts (Oven version): Here’s the Step-by-Step:

1. Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the bacon until crispy; about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate (don’t drain the pan). 
2. Season the chicken pieces liberally with salt and pepper. Brown them on all sides in the pan with the bacon drippings, still set over med-high heat. Takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a tray.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, and mushrooms to the pan. Cook until tender; about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle in the flour and the garlic and cook for one minute more, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the wine, stock, and mustard to the pan and stir to combine everything. Add the chicken and bacon back into the pan, along with any of those rich drippings. Cover and place the pot in the oven for 2.5 hours, until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender. During the last 30 minutes of cook time, include any of the optional add-ins/veggies, if you like. This will tenderize the veggies just enough, but still leave them with a little bite. 
5. Sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts and lemon zest and serve with rice or pasta.

Coq au Rose’ with Hazelnuts & Lemon (Slow Cooker version): Here’s the Step-by-Step

1. Add the wine, stock, and mustard to your slow cooker; season with about 2 tsp each salt and pepper. Add the onion, carrots, mushrooms, and the garlic.
2. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the bacon until crispy; about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate (don’t drain the pan). 
3. Season the chicken pieces liberally with salt and pepper, and coat them in the flour. Brown them on all sides in the pan with the bacon drippings, still set over med-high heat. Takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the browned chicken to your slow cooker. Add the bacon as well. 
4. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 hours, until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender. During the last 30 minutes of cook time, include any of the optional add-ins/veggies, if you like. This will tenderize the veggies just enough, but still leave them with a little bite. 
5. HINT: if you want to thicken and reduce the sauce even further, take the lid off, set the slow cooker to high and allow it to simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts and lemon zest and serve with rice or pasta.

If you like the looks of this Coq au Rose with Lemon and Hazelnuts, you might want to check out:

Filipino Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice

Mediterranean Sun-dried Tomato Chicken with Farro

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