José Andrés, Spanish chef: “For a very juicy chicken, I leave it to marinate overnight in red wine, a little garlic, celery, carrot, onion and shallot.”
There's nothing worse than dry, flavorless poultry. Juiciness is key to perfectly cooked chicken, but the flavors also need to permeate the meat. To achieve this, we invite you to follow the advice of Spanish chef José Andrés, who shares his interpretation of the famous coq au vin.
Cooking poultry is a delicate subject! While chicken has become the number one meat in many households, this doesn't always mean it's cooked properly. To get the best from this product, you need to know how to enhance the flavors and maintain juiciness.
Marinating the meat is often an ideal solution for this. Chef José Andrés confirms this in an article published by InfoBae. The renowned figure in Spanish gastronomy outlines three fundamental principles: marinate, drain/dry the meat thoroughly, and brown it perfectly.
To put this approach to the test, we suggest you try making coq au vin at home, a classic French dish that the Iberian chef interprets brilliantly. For such a dish, anticipation is key. You have to be patient before getting cooking and enjoying the delicious result (but it's truly worth it!).
The necessary ingredients
To prepare a delicious coq au vin like chef José Andrés, you will need (for approximately 6 people):
- 1 chicken weighing approximately 1.5 kg, cut into pieces
- 750 ml of slightly tannic red wine
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 large onion
- 2 shallots
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 100g of smoked bacon cut into lardons
- 200g of button mushrooms
The steps to follow
Peel and clean the vegetables before chopping them. Finely slice the onion and shallots. Cut the carrots into thin half-moons and the celery into a brunoise. Remove the germ from the garlic cloves and crush the flesh with a garlic press. Place this aromatic garnish in a large salad bowl with the thyme and bay leaf.
Add the previously cut-up chicken pieces and cover with the red wine. Mix lightly and cover with plastic wrap. Let it marinate for 8 to 10 hours in the refrigerator. The next day, remove the chicken and drain it well. Pat it dry gently with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a little olive oil in a Dutch oven. Place the chicken pieces (skin-side down) in the pot and sear them well over high heat. Brown them on all sides to form a nice crust around each piece. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot and to maintain a proper temperature. Remove the meat and set aside.
In the same pot (without cleaning it), brown the smoked bacon lardons. Add the vegetables from the marinade, which you've removed with a slotted spoon. Let them color lightly. Then pour in the wine (strained to remove any impurities or small pieces). Heat over high heat to evaporate the alcohol until the liquid volume is reduced by half.
Return the chicken pieces (and any juices that have accumulated) to the pot and stir gently. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. About 20 minutes before the end of this cooking time, add the mushrooms, which have been cleaned and roughly chopped. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
If the mixture still seems a little runny, let it heat uncovered for a few minutes over medium heat until it reaches the desired consistency. Serve piping hot.
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