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Coq Au Brun Craft Beer

Course: Entree | Beer Style: Brown Ale

Coq Au Brun

Coq au vin is a delicious traditional French dish composed of braised chicken, lardons, mushrooms and, typically, earthy red Burgundy. All across France there are many variations on this recipe depending on the wine made in the region. In Alsace, crisp white wine is used; in the South an orange wine or rosé. For our uniquely American craft beer approach, this recipe has been adapted to bring out the fall notes of a brown ale. This recipe can be made richer by changing to a dubbel as well. Served over potatoes this dish is a perfect complement to a cold autumn night.

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Yield: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken, broken into 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs all bone in and skin on
  • Basic beer brine, using a brown ale
  • ½ cup bacon cut into ¼" lardons
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 clove garlic, sliced
  • 12 cippolini onions, peeled
  • 1 pound Crimini or Shiitake mushrooms (for a richer version use Chanterelle mushrooms)
  • ¼ cup brown ale
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp butter

Directions

  1. Brine the chicken for 4-6 hours prior to starting this recipe.
  2. (Recipe: Basic Brine with Beer)
  3. Remove the chicken from the brine and discard the brine.
  4. In a heavy-bottomed pot such as a Le Creuset or soup pot, heat the 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
  5. Add the bacon lardons and render until lightly browned about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the pan and leave all the drippings in the pan.
  6. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper and place skin-side down in the pan. Cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Remove and rest.
  7. Add the thyme, bay leaf, garlic and cippolini onions to the pan. Stir for one minute.
  8. Add the mushrooms to the pan and deglaze with the Brown ale. Season with salt and pepper as needed
  9. Add the chicken back into the pan and cover with the chicken stock. Place the lid tightly on the pot and simmer slowly for 45 minutes
  10. At 45 minutes remove the lid and continue to simmer for an additional 25 minutes to reduce the sauce. The sauce should be thick enough to just coat the chicken and mushrooms.
  11. Add butter and stir into the sauce coating the chicken.
  12. Serve right away

Adam Dulye is executive chef for the Brewers Association and CraftBeer.com. Dulye is a Culinary Institute of America graduate and co-author of the CraftBeer.com Beer & Food Course and The Beer Pantry: Cooking at the Intersection of Craft Beer and Great Food. Dulye also oversees culinary side of SAVOR®: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience, PAIRED® at the Great American Beer Festival®, and the World Beer Cup®.

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