Coq Au Vin Sunday Family Dinner

Coq au vin, originally from Burgundy, France, is one of the first comfort dishes I think of when it comes to cooler evenings in the fall and cold winter nights.  Although there is no way to really make this dish "healthy," and not lose out on the rich flavors that make it so yummy, my version is a bit more on the healthier side.  While most recipes call for dark meat of thighs and legs, I prefer white meat (chicken breasts, lower in fat than dark meat) and I also cut the usual amount of bacon (anywhere from 8-10 slices).  Even with these adjustments though, this is still a very rich and decadent dinner for you and your family to enjoy together this winter.

On the Menu
1st Course - Starters: Croissants & Bettetteraves Roties (Roasted Beet Salad)
2nd Course - French Onion Soup
3rd Course - Main Dish: Coq Au Vin 
4th Course - Side Dishes: Mashed Red Potatoes & Haricot Verts (French Green Beans)
5th Course - Recommended Dessert: Unique Cherries Jubilee

1st Course - Starters: Croissants & Bettetteraves Roties (Roasted Beet Salad)

I love big, fluffy croissants for a dinner bread and it's only natural to have them to begin a classic French dish.  I usually just buy freshly baked croissants at my local bakery (easier, and less expensive).  I will warm these in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds and serve with butter.

Bettetteraves Roties (Roasted Beet Salad)
Ingredients:
3-4 medium to large beets, greens & stems removed, peeled and chopped or diced
2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. garlic powder, garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 cups fresh arugula
olive oil cooking spray
3-4 tbsp. feta cheese crumbles (I prefer lighter cheeses, but if you prefer stronger cheese, use goat cheese or blue cheese crumbles)
almond slices, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place beets in a mixing bowl and add 1 tbsp.extra virgin olive oil.
3. Cover the bowl with Saran wrap and shake vigorously (keeping beets enclosed in the bowl) to coat each piece with the oil 
4. Lay out beets on a greased baking sheet and season with sea salt, pepper and 1 tsp. garlic powder to taste.
5. Roast in oven for approximately 30-45 minutes.  
6. Right before beets are ready to come out of the oven, in a skillet sprayed with cooking oil over medium heat, cook arugula until it is half wilted and half crisped.
7. Season with remaining garlic powder 
8. Remove from oven, transfer to a mixing bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar (warm beets will soak up the flavors the best) let rest for a few minutes.
9. On serving plate, place arugula and beets next to each other.
10. Top beets with a sprinkle of desired crumbled cheese and arugula with almond slices.

Click here for the 2nd Course - French Onion Soup

3rd Course - Main Dish: Coq Au Vin

Ingredients:
3 pieces of thick cut bacon, sliced into 1" square pieces
3 chicken breasts, fat and cartilage trimmed
1/2 cup of yellow onion, diced
15-20 pearl onions
15-20 small Bella mushrooms, stems removed and washed thoroughly
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth.
1 cup of cabernet sauvignon red wine
2-3 bay leaves
2 tsp. dried thyme
4 cups baby carrots
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. butter, divided
Cornstarch as necessary

1. In a large, deep saucepan (preferably oven proof), cook bacon squares until crisp.
2. Remove bacon from pan and place on a plate with a paper towel.
3. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and 1 tsp. garlic powder.
4. In same saucepan as bacon was cooked (bacon fat/ oil still in pan), sear each side of chicken until golden brown and set aside on a plate.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Add diced onion, baby carrots and garlic and cook until onion becomes translucent and carrots soften.
7. Add mushrooms and pearl onions and cook until mushrooms soften.
8. Mix in chicken broth and 1 tbsp. butter and simmer for about  minutes.
9. Add chicken and bacon back into saucepan.  Add the wine, thyme and bay leaves and mix together well to blend flavors, cook for approximately  10 minutes or until chicken is approximately 145 degrees F internally at its thickest parts.
10. Add the rest of the butter and flour and mix to thicken mixture slightly. Turn chicken pieces over so that both sides of the chicken absorb flavors.
11. Cover saucepan and place in oven (if your saucepan is not oven proof, transfer to baking dish and cover with tin foil if it doesn't have a cover).
12. Cook for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is 165 degrees F internally at its thickest parts.
13. Remove from oven, and cut breasts into large chunks (approximately in thirds) for easier division of serving.
14. If sauce is still thin (should be a stew-like consistency) add 1 tbsp. of cornstarch.

4th Course - Side Dishes: Mashed Red Potatoes & Haricot Verts (French Green Beans)
Mashed Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
6-8 red pontiac potatoes, thoroughly washed and cut into 1-2" pieces
6 cups of water
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt to taste 

1. In a medium sized pot, add water and potatoes over medium to high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Continue to boil until potatoes soften; drain water and remove from heat.
3. Mash potatoes to desired consistency.
4. Add butter, milk, garlic powder and salt and mix thoroughly with potatoes. 
5. Serve on the side or as the base to top with Coq Au Vin.

Haricot Verts (French Green Beans)
Ingredients:
1/2 lbs. green beans (fresh or frozen, if fresh, wash thoroughly and remove ends)
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. of almond slivers, or pine nuts
1 fresh lemon wedge

1. Place beans in a pan with the water on medium heat; cover almost completely and let steam for (about 10-15 minutes) until crisp-tender; drain and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a pan and lightly toast almond slivers/ pine nuts over a low heat (this only take a few minutes).
3. Add beans and mix all together.  Plate on dish and give a squeeze of lemon juice over the top.