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Coq au Ale: Drunk French Chicken

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Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 chicken thighs bone in skin on
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tbs all purpose flour
  • 4 oz salt pork or thick bacon chopped
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh thyme
  • ½ lbs mushrooms chopped (crimini and white button)
  • 1 white onion chopped
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 2 ribs celery chopped
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • 12 ounces stout beer
  • 1 cup chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 (unless preparing in advance).
  • Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then with flour. Rub the flour in until well coated. Set aside and allow to rest while you prepare the rest of the dish.
  • Add the salt pork or bacon to a large skillet over medium heat (medium heat will render more fat than high heat). Cook, stirring frequently until most of the fat has rendered and the pork is crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and add to the bottom of a large Dutch oven.
  • Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, allowing to cook until the skin has browned and most of the fat has rendered, about 8 minutes. Turn over, cook until just browned. Transfer the chicken to the Dutch oven.
  • Add the mushrooms and the thyme to the skillet, cooking until the mushrooms have turned a darker browned and softened, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the mushrooms to the Dutch oven.
  • Add the onion, carrots, celery, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper, cooking until all the vegetables have softened and started to brown, about 6 minutes.
  • Add the beer to the pan, scraping to deglaze the bottom. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the tomato paste, then sprinkle with flour, whisking until sauce has thickened.
  • Add a strainer over the Dutch oven, pour the sauce into the strainer, straining out the onions, carrots and celery. Pour the chicken broth into the strainer to make the process easier. Using a spoon, press the vegetables to make sure all the sauce and broth gets into the Dutch oven. Discard the vegetables.
  • If possible, cover and refrigerate for up to three days. This is will give you a deeper, richer flavor but the dish is ready to cook immediate.
  • When ready to cook,cover and transfer to a 325F oven, baking until the chicken is cooked through, about 30-45 minutes (if the chicken is cold from the refrigerator, the baking will take longer).
  • Remove the chicken from the pot and add the pot to a burner over high heat, simmer until thickened. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken back into the pot.
  • Serve hot over rice or noodles.