CHICKEN IN RED WINE SAUCE (COQ AU VIN)
Serves: 4
1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) olive or vegetable oil
3 or 4 slices bacon (about 3 oz/85 g), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch (1.25-cm) lardons 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 5 oz (140 g) each, trimmed of excess fat
1 cup (250 mL) red wine, such as Beaujolais-Villages 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) dried thyme 1 bay leaf
Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter 1/2 lb (250 g) button mushrooms, quartered if large
1 tbsp (15 mL) all-purpose flour 1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 120 mL) low-sodium chicken stock (optional)
Buttered broad noodles, for serving
1. Using the sauté function, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) of olive oil in the pressure cooker. Add bacon and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate.
2. You should have about 3 tbsp (45 mL) of rendered fat left in the pressure cooker — if necessary, add an additional 1 tbsp
(15 mL) olive oil.
3. Dry chicken thighs thoroughly with paper towels and add to pressure cooker. (You may need to do this in batches.) Cook until golden on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer chicken onto a plate. Turn off sauté function. 4. Add wine and stir, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. 5. Add garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf. Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
6. Return bacon and chicken thighs to the pot, along with any juices from the plate, arranging chicken skin-side down to absorb more colour from the wine. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. 7. While chicken cooks, in a medium skillet, melt 2 tbsp (30 mL) of butter over mediumhigh heat until foamy. 8. When the foam has started to subside, add mushrooms and cook, shaking the pan frequently, until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
9. In a small bowl, mash flour into the remaining 1 tbsp
(15 mL) butter until it forms a smooth paste (this is the beurre manié).
10. When the chicken has finished cooking, manually release the steam. Transfer chicken to a plate, leaving the liquid in the pot. Discard bay leaf.
11. Using the sauté function, bring cooking liquid to a simmer. With a wire whisk, beat in the beurre manié until the sauce becomes glossy and coats the back of a spoon. If the sauce becomes too thick, add the stock, starting with 1 tbsp (15 mL). Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as desired. 12. Return chicken, along with any juices from the plate, and mushrooms to the pressure cooker and heat through in the sauce. Serve with buttered broad noodles.
Beurre manié: Sauces are one of the pressure cooker’s weak points, as liquid cannot evaporate and reduce while it is sealed. Flour or other starch added to the pressure cooker before sealing could burn on the bottom or clog the vent holes.
Given these factors, the sauce of a dish braised in the pressure cooker is thin. It’s up to you, then, to thicken it.
A classic beurre manié — or “kneaded butter” — is the perfect solution. Composed of equal parts flour and butter that have been mashed together, the paste is whisked into hot braising liquid at the end of the cooking time, turning the sauce thick and glossy, without lumps. Beurre manié is extremely easy to make — just use a fork to mash butter and flour together on a plate. But to save time, you can prepare a large quantity in the food processor. Divide it into 1-tbsp (15-mL) portions and store them in the freezer.
When you need to thicken a sauce, simply throw a frozen lump into your boiling braising liquid and whisk away.