Coq Au Vin Blanc

This is not as much work as I always thought Coq Au Vin would be - mostly prep and then you sit back while it cooks!  In the photo, I'm serving it with broccoli and lemon roasted golden beets.

Coq Au Vin Blanc
4 servings

1 chicken, about 4 pounds
1 tsp. salt - use about 1/2 this if using an Empire chicken (they're cleaned in salt water)
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
2 T olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 oz. dried morels, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and then thinly sliced
1T arrowroot starch
1T red pepper sauce
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 cup chicken broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup coconut milk
Cooked rice

Quarter the chicken, wash and dry it and season with the salt and pepper.  In a large Dutch oven type pan (I use an enameled cast iron one), heat the olive oil and brown the chicken pieces on all sides - remove from the pan to a plate.  In the same pan, saute shallots and garlic - you may need a little more oil - until golden.  Add the mushroom slices and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the arrowroot and red pepper paste and cook, stirring, for a minute.  Add in the wine and broth.  Add the thyme, bay leaves, and chicken.  Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and cook in a 350F degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken is very tender.  Remove pot from oven and remove the chicken to a covered dish that will keep it warm.

With the pot on medium-high, add the coconut milk and cook until the sauce has thickened - about 10 to 15 minutes.  Return chicken to the pot and heat through.  Remove thyme stalks and bay leaves.

Put a chicken serving on top of a serving of rice and spoon sauce over the top.

This freezes real well - freeze the chicken separately from leftover sauce and make fresh rice when you're ready to eat it.