White Coq Au Vin

Previously, in one of my earlier recipes, I had done a classic coq au vin, stewed for hours and has since been a favorite among family and friends.

Recently, I had a chance to cook for some friends during a dinner gathering for a bunch of food kakis, and that included the illustrious Leslie Tay from the ieatishootipost blog.

Cooking for a group is always quite challenging, and seeing that I had only about an hour or so to cook, I decided to modify a faster version of coq au vin, using white wine for a lighter, more refreshing flavor, and this proved to be a wise choice.

To begin, brown some finely diced bacon until they are fragrant and slightly crispy. In the same pan, seal the chicken drumsticks for about a minute or two, until they skin is browned.

In a pot, saute some diced onions and chopped leeks for a couple of minutes until they are also fragrant. Drizzle a little white wine and let the vegetables absorb the wine liquid.

Add in more vegetables in the form of diced potatoes and carrots and throw in the bacon.

Add in about one third bottle of white wine and bring it to a boil. Add in the chicken drumsticks and add enough chicken stock until the drumsticks and vegetables are fully covered and bring to a boil.

Instead of letting it stew at a low heat, keep boiling at medium to medium high heat until the wine reduces the chicken into a very flavorful stock and letting the vegetables' flavors fully immersed.

After about half an hour, add in a knob of butter and remove from heat. To serve, just garnish with some chopped basil for the added aroma and color.

The chicken drumsticks will not be broken down like classic coq au vin, but instead, firm but fully cooked and moist inside. This is handy if you have limited time to cook coq au vin or chicken stew.