Quick Coq Au Vin

Coq au Vin...I'm a big fan. There's something about this simple dish that generally takes hours to make that just makes my mouth water.  I've tried several recipes and many of them I like, but they take hours.  Then I stumbled onto this recipe.  A "quick" version.

The only down side to this dish were the grapes.  Not sure what grapes are doing in coq au vin, but I could have done without them in this dish. Otherwise, the rest was glorious.  I didn't have pearl onions, so I chopped up a half of a yellow onion and it worked just fine. Enjoy.

Quick Coq Au Vin
Makes 5 cups (it really doesn't - it makes enough to serve 4 people)

• 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 2" chunks, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1/4 c flour
• 4 strips bacon, diced
• 2 T olive oil
• 6 oz button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 c dry white wine
• 1 c chicken broth
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 c frozen pearl onions
• 1 c red grapes, halved

Dust the seasoned chicken with the flour. (I put the flour in a plastic bag with the salt and pepper and dusted the chicken that way - seemed easier). Fry bacon until it's crisp. Remove and set aside.

Pour off all but 1T of the bacon drippings from the pan add 2T olive oil. Add chicken and brown it on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Saute mushrooms and tomato paste in 1 T oil over medium-high heat. (Note: I put the mushrooms and my chopped onions in together here. Once they softened THEN I hit them with the tomato paste). Cook for 3 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the wine and chicken broth; simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add thyme and cooked chicken, simmer for 5 more minutes.

Stir in pearly onions, grapes and bacon. Simmer 5 minutes or until onions are heated through.

I served mine over mashed potatoes, but I suppose a pasta side dish wouldn't be bad here either. Or polenta if you're the type that likes polenta! Blech! I'll stick to my mashed potatoes.