1. CREATING THE CLASSIC
FRENCH CHICKEN DISH
COQ AU VIN
By William D Jones MD

2. Introduction
 William D. Jones, MD, is a respected Oklahoma City,
OK, physician with two decades of experience in
occupational and preventive medical care. An avid
traveler, William D. Jones, MD, lived in France during
two periods of his life. While in the country, he gained
an interest in local culinary techniques.
One of the classic regional French dishes is coq au
vin, or chicken braised in red wine. From the
Burgundy region, the dish traditionally featured rooster
slow-cooked in wine, with flavoring elements such as
pearl onions, mushrooms, and lardons, or salted pork
belly sticks, used to create a rich, multi-layered flavor.
Today, bacon is a common substitute for lardons.

3. Coq au Vin
 The slow braise associated with coq au vin was
originally designed to create a tender dish from a
tough, free-range rooster on the farm. Today,
tender hens are the most common type of chicken
used. For this reason, a braise over several hours
is not necessary and can even dry out the white
meat in less than an hour.
While slow braising just the dark meat such as the
leg is one solution, this goes against the “whole
bird” concept of the dish. Creative solutions
involve browning the entire chicken in an oven
and then braising just the legs to create a classic
coq au vin flavor.