In the old days, those roosters needed all the help they could get to become tender. So it was customary to marinate them in wine for up to 48 hours. Though Roussel follows tradition, most modern recipes do not marinate. I took the middle ground and marinated my stewing chicken for 24 hours, and had excellent results. (Chicken legs from younger birds can marinate for less time.) But if you want to take the lazy way out and not marinate at all, you'll still get a coq au vin that's good enough to serve your mother-in-law (assuming she's not from Burgundy).

     One hour before you start to cook, remove the bird to a sheet pan lined with paper towels, dry the chicken thoroughly and leave out at room temperature. This idea came from Kevin Gibson, chef and owner of Castagna in Portland, Ore., who lets his chicken dry in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours. "It colors the sauce better after you've browned the chicken," Gibson says. "You don't get that mottled skin." (This is also a good way to get nicely crisped skin on roasted duck, by the way.)
Browning the chicken in oil—a step I sometimes rush, but always regret doing so later on—is important because it gives color and flavor to the chicken as well as the sauce. So take your time.

     Though Roussel doesn't do it, flaming the chicken with Cognac after browning is traditional, and it adds depth of flavor—not to mention a little excitement! Make sure you're not wearing any flowing robes and that your shoulder-length hair is tied back. Add 1/4 cup of Cognac ( more is not better here) to the pan, then pull it toward you and tilt it carefully, enough so the flames from the stove ignite the Cognac. Or if you have an electric stove, ignite carefully with a long match. After a minute or so, the flames will burn out.

     While the chicken is browning, in a separate ban sauté chopped onion, celery rib and two carrots until lightly browned. Then combine the chicken with the sautéed vegetables, a bouquet garni, a bottle of wine and two cups of chicken stock (reduced from four cups). Roussel uses veal demi-glace (available in gourmet supermarkets), which gives the sauce more of a sheen and richness than reduced broth does.

     Roussel finishes cooking the chicken on top of the stove. But Ken Duckworth, chef at Maison Robert in Boston, suggests that coq au vin cooks more evenly in the oven. I agree, especially if you're using a stewing hen. It will take about two hours at 350° F (chicken legs take half that time). Using the oven also frees up the stove top for preparing accompaniments without distraction.
Take care not to overcook the chicken. "The meat should still be tight [firm]. Not falling off the bone. Otherwise, it's unattractive,"Gibson says. And don't add salt untill you're ready to finish the sauce on the stove. Reducing the liquid while you finish the sauce concentrates the natural salts. Salting too early can turn out a dish that's overly salty.

     Bacon, mushrooms and pearl onions are customary embellishments for coq au vin. They can be sautéed, one after the other in the same pan,while the chicken cooks in the oven. Six ounces of bacon, ideally slab bacon, are cut crosswise into 1/2-inch wide lardons. Mushrooms, about eight ounces of them, are traditionally of the simple button variety. But don't be afraid to experiment. Roussel uses shiitakes. Gibson uses fresh morels, and puts dried morels in the reduced broth. I've also seen recipes with dried porcinis. Pearl onions are a bit of a pain to peel, so I prefer shallots (halved or quartered, if too large). You can mix these all together once they are cooked, and keep them warm until you're ready to assemble the final dish.

     Once the chicken is done, remove it to a platter and cover it with foil to keep warm. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a bowl, pressing out all the juices from the vegetables and bouquet garni. Don't rush this step either. There is a lot of flavor locked in the vegetables and herbs.
Reduce the sauce until it thickens enough to just coat the back of a wooden spoon. If you have used a reduced broth instead of demi-glace, you may want to thicken the sauce by whiskinf a tablespoon of flour. (Old-fashioned recipes call for the chicken liver pounded in brandy and the blood of the chicken to thicken the sauce.) A nut of butter adds a final gloss.

     Broth Gibson and Roussel serve coq au vin with mashed potatoes, preferring Yukon golds. "They have better flavor and color," Gibson says. I also like Yukon golds pureed with parsnips, fennel or celery root. Steamed fingerling potatoes and wide noobles are also good accompaniments. Roussel mounds the mashed potatoes in the center of a large soup plate, then sticks the piece of chicken into the mashed potatoes. The sauce, bacon, mushrooms and onions are poured over and around the chicken and mashed potatoes and the dish is garnished with baby carrots, rosemary and thyme springs.

     With a savory coq au vin and equally delicious wine, you've got a meal fit for Caesar.


Sam Gugino, Wine Spectator's Tastes columnist, is the author of Low-Fat Cooking to beat the Clock (Chronicle Books).