I’d never eaten coq au vin before making this dish. It’s a dish that comes with a certain degree of renown, or perhaps infamy, depending on how you look at it. When I was in my early 20s I went on a camping trip with a friend who said she wanted to make it in camp and brought a can of coconut milk. For various reasons, that meal never materialized, so I have no idea what she would have actually made.

There is 0% coconut milk in this dish. Instead, it’s chicken and vegetables cooked in red wine. The wine tenderizes the meat and creates a delicious sauce that flavors everything. Enjoy this with the wine leftover from cooking, or dredge up a second bottle, as there would only be 1 1/2 cups left from a standard-sized wine bottle and I don’t know how much you drink. If you don’t drink, keep in mind that the wine cooks out of this and you can let the leftover wine turn to vinegar to make a nice sekanjabin (or share that wine with me, thanks).

I found a version of this recipe in the 365 Easy One-Dish Meals cookbook by Natalie Haughton. Since I’m not a fan of pearl onions, I used a couple regular-sized onions instead, though you can do as you prefer.

8 bacon slices, diced
1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. thyme
2 large chicken breasts, cut in half
2-3 white onions, chopped roughly
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, stems trimmed
8 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally 1-inch thick (or 35-40 baby carrots)
2 c. dry red wine
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
9-10-oz. green beans
chopped parsley, for garnish

In a 5-qt. Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt, pepper, basil, and thyme in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken pieces. Roll the chicken all over in flour mixture. Shake off excess and reserve any remaining flour.

Cook chicken in 2 batches in hot bacon fat over medium-high heat, turning, until golden. Remove all chicken to a plate and drain off fat excess from pan.

Add onions, mushrooms, and carrots to brown bits in pan and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Stir in any reserved flour and keep stirring for another minute or so.

Add the wine, mustard, and bacon bits. Heat to boiling.

Return chicken to pan and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add the green beans and cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken and beans are done.

Garnish with parsley to serve.