Alsace Classic: Coq au Riesling
Coq au vin is usually braised in red wine. In Alsace, however, they braise the chicken in white wine.
| Ingredients (4 servings) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | whole chicken (2.8 - 3kg) | |
| 1/4 | celeriac | |
| 2 | carrots | |
| 2 | parsley roots | |
| 4 | onions | |
| 6 | pimento seeds (allspice) | |
| 2 | bay leaves | |
| 10 | black peppercorns | |
| 1/2 | l | Riesling |
| 12 | small shallots, peeled | |
| 2 | teaspoon(s) | cornstarch |
| 100 | g | white grapes |
| 6 | tablespoon(s) | oil for frying |
- Joint the chicken into eight pieces and season well with salt.
- Peel the celery, carrots, parsley roots and half of the onions. Cut everything into walnut-sized pieces. Coarsely chop the chicken carcass and cover the vegetable cubes with allspice, bay leaf and pepper in a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes.
- Then strain the chicken stock through a fine sieve. In the meantime, cut the chicken legs at the joints. Peel the remaining onions, cut them in half lengthwise and quarter them.
- Fry the prepared chicken drumsticks in a roasting pan until golden brown on both sides, then add the onions and fry as well.
- Deglaze with Riesling (reserve some to add with cornflour later) and fill up with chicken stock until everything is covered. Simmer for approx. 45 minutes in a pot with a lid.
- Remove the chicken drumsticks from the pan and remove the skin. Reduce the stock to a third and then puree with a hand blender until smooth, season to taste and return to the roasting pan.
- In a frying pan, brown the chicken breasts on the skin side together with the shallots. Then add just the roasted shallots to the sauce in the pan and cook for 10 minutes and finish cooking the breasts over a low heat, basting several times with the drippings. The sauce should be slightly thickened by reducing.
- Dissolve the cornflour in a little white wine and add to the sauce. Bring to the boil, season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken legs and the grapes to the sauce and bring to the boil again briefly. Cut the crispy roasted breasts crosswise, then arrange them on the braised drumsticks and shallots with the sauce and serve.
Tip:
And the sauce?
Parsley potatoes or, perhaps even better, fluffy cooked rice are recommended as a side dish to absorb the delicious sauce.