Weighty Issues But Not With Chicken In White Wine Stew (Coq Au Vin)

Today is the first day of the week that I don’t have pressing matters to write about (i.e. get off of my chest). I will make my posts shorter over the next two days, promise. Plus, winter has me in a funk here in southern Minnesota and I feel like I’m trying to gain momentum with life in general. (It did warm up and will remain that way but I still see snow and it’s only just begun as the song goes.) I did get a few magazines, that I didn’t rip to pieces, so perhaps I will dive into those and regain some inspiration. Here’s a perk, it’s Thursday and that means grocery list day…what should I make? I have dozens of recipes lined up but am curious about what you’re making or craving.

I hope my sister’s birthday was wonderful yesterday, I really missed being there. I would’ve taken her out or brought her back a tasty treat from a restaurant (to share) or perhaps, brought her lunch, maybe Tokyo Seoul that she raved about while we were home.

I would like to thank Donna (from ChaLean Extreme and no, I’m not affiliated or receiving money from them but that would be nice) and Kristy Ford, both women found me through twitter and provided advice about our new workout routine. I am impressed with this newer dvd set from Chalene Johnson of Turbo Jam/Beachbody. She isn’t “valley girl” in this one and really gets down to business, providing explanations in terms of parts of the body and appropriate workouts for those specific areas. We’ve only completed 2 circuits and have the cardio and ab portion tonight but we are both excited about continuing.

We definitely need more weights, the highest we have right now are 12 lbs. and we both agree that this could be more efficient with a much heavier weight. They are pricey but we intend to put the moolah down soon. Donna has also suggested resistance bands (after I questioned her about these), which I’ve used in Turbo Jam and loved but wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to go that route with this program. I’m still considering it.

Tuesdays and Sundays are our break days but I am contemplating adding more cardio. However, I promised myself to give it a few weeks before adding anything that might jeopardize the results. I have a habit of going all out in the beginning so that I wear down and eventually get overwhelmed, which leads to an irregular schedule.

Last weekend I made a recipe from Sunset-white wine coq au vin (chicken in white wine). The only thing I did was add red bliss potatoes and fresh thyme; the recipe was superb the way it was provided beyond those additions. Serve with crusty bread on the side and you have yourself a fragrant, words can’t describe, classic French meal.

White Wine Coq Au Vin-Chicken in White Wine from Sunset magazine
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
4 ½ tbsp flour
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp herbes de Provence
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
6 or 7 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp olive oil
11/2 cups peeled baby carrots
3 stalks celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
2 potatoes, quartered and not peeled (I used red bliss)-optional
1 1/3 cups Chardonnay
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh tarragon, chopped
¼ cup fresh thyme-optional

In a plastic bag or bowl, shake flour with ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper and herbes de Provence. In a Dutch oven or 5qt. pot, brown bacon over medium heat, then remove to a plate. Cut the chicken into 1 inch chunks and shake with the flour mix. Brown the chicken in the bacon fat and transfer to a plate, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the oil to the pot, if needed and add chopped carrots, onion, celery and potatoes with remaining salt and pepper. Sauté until onion is golden over medium heat. Meanwhile, microwave the wine and broth until steaming, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, chicken and bacon to the pot, stirring to loosen browned bits and cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add chopped parsley, tarragon and thyme to the stew and serve with crusty bread.