CHICKEN IN PORT WINE

When people think French, “Coq au Vin” probably would be the first thing that pops up in their head. However, come to think of it, everything is “au vin” in France! Coq au vin requires rather intensive time and labor. Besides, it is not easy to find a rooster in our supermarkets. If you made the dish with a chicken then your dish would be “Poulet au vin”, not “Coq au vin”. What’s the difference? The rooster holds up better in a stew than a chicken. Few years back, my sister Tam, who is living in France, showed me another chicken “au vin” dish, “Poulet au Porto”(Chicken cooked in Port wine). This dish is quick and a lot simpler to make than the classic “Coq au Vin”. First, you season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge them in flour and fry in a mixture of oil and butter to crisp both sides. Remove the chicken and set aside. You might want to remove some of the fat also. Add some chopped onions and garlic to the pan, sauté briefly then add a teaspoon of flour to make a roux(a thick paste of flour and butter). Deglaze the pan with a cup of port wine and some chicken stock. Stir until the roux is all dissolved. The result would be a lightly thick sauce. If the sauce turned out too thick, feel free to add more wine or some chicken stock. Add back the chicken into the pan, add some mushrooms (sliced, cut in half or left whole, up to your preference). Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan with lid and simmer the chicken until tender, about 20 minutes. If you found the sauce a little thin when you put the chicken back into the pan, this simmering process would thicken up the sauce. Check the seasoning before serving.
You can serve this dish with rice or some baguette.