I am extremely behind in my recipe sharing…so I’m trying to catch up…this is from two Tuesday’s ago…

So, the back-story on this creation was that Food 52′s weekly contest was for Chicken with Mustard.  My concept was to take a very traditional Coq au Vin and put my own spin on it.  My inspiration was watching the Next Iron Chef America when they all deconstructed dishes and someone deconstructed coq au vin and made it her own.  I thought that if I added the mustard it should be made with white wine, since typically mustard and red wine don’t really show up as a pair in the culinary world.  I actually thought I was quite smart about creating this version and was excited about submitting it.  I also twisted it up by adding sliced sun-dried tomatoes and cremini mushrooms…so yummy!

My Version of Coq au Vin called Drunken Dijon Chicken

Well, last week was really hectic and by the time that I got around to writing the recipe down and getting it ready for entry, it was late Friday night….so late that I missed the time allotted to enter the competition by twenty minutes…Needless to say, I was pissed.

I even had a great line about how this dish is to Coq au Vin as a Blondie is to a Brownie…It’s the “blond” version of a traditional French stew.  I would have like to have think it would have caught the eyes of the food testers.  Now, I will never know.

But, no matter what, I made this really good chicken dish that feeds a huge crowd…how do I know, well because the night I served it, I was feeding nine people and none of them went home hungry.  It is a little time consuming up front, but if you start the process a couple of hours before your guests arrive, it is just lovingly simmering away when they show up.  To serve all you have to do in make the egg noodles and plate it when the company is around…Easy Entertaining in my book!  Plus, the aroma in your house is amazing!

Pre-Steamed Broccoli Spears with Halved Grape Tomatoes

I served this with a simple room temperature salad of pre-steamed broccoli spears and halved grape tomatoes in a store bought red wine vinaigrette…(yes, I normally make homemade vinaigrette, but I was cutting corners this particular day).  Make sure you steam or blanch the spears for 3-5 minutes in salt water and then shock them in an ice water bath.  Then let them drain completely so they can absorb the dressing.  You can even blot them with a towel to help get rid of excess moisture.

Please try this one, it is fantastic and wonderful for the cool Autumn nights!

Drunken Dijon Chicken

Drunken Dijon Chicken

3-4 lbs of Chicken Thighs and Legs

4 slices of Peppered Smoked Bacon, diced

8 oz Cremini Mushrooms, quartered

½ cup of Sundried Tomatoes, julienned

2 Shallots, diced

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/3 cup of Grain Dijon Mustard

½ cup Sherry

2 cups Dry White Wine

2 cups Chicken Stock

6-8 sprigs of Fresh Thyme, leaves only

2 Bay Leaves

3 Tbsp Flour

Olive Oil

Chopped Chives for Garnish (optional)

1 package of Extra Wide Egg Noodles

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 – In a deep soup pot, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to medium heat.  Add chicken thighs and drumsticks in a single layer and brown.  You may need to do this in batches.  Just cook till brown, not until cooked through.  Put them on a platter and set aside.

2 – In the soup pot add the bacon.  Cook till halfway done, then add the shallots, mushrooms, salt and pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Then add the garlic and continue to cook until bacon is cooked through and the shallots are translucent.  Now put the veggies and bacon into a bowl and set aside.

3 – Hopefully you have about 3 tablespoons of bacon and chicken drippings/fat in the soup pot.  If not, add some olive oil.  Add the 3 tbsp of flour to the fat/oil and create a roux.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes on medium to medium-high heat. Deglaze the pot with the sherry.  Once combined add the veggies and bacon back to the pot and stir.

4- Add the dry white wine, chicken stock, sun-dried tomatoes and grain dijon mustard.  Stir to combine.  Now add back the chicken with any dripping that are on the plate.  Add the thyme leaves and bay.  Cook on low heat and covered for about an hour.  Taste and adjust any seasonings.

5 – Before Serving, cook egg noodles according to the package directions.

6 – To serve:  Put egg noodles on the bottom of the serving platter.  Neatly arrange the chicken pieces and then top it all with the sauce.  Sprinkle some chopped chives on top and serve…as always,

Happy Eating!