Fun fact: I was a vegetarian for 8 years. At some point during my pregnancy with my last child, all I wanted was fried chicken. It was an obsession. It’s been 4 years since I was a full time vegetarian, but I still really enjoy mostly vegetarian meals. This Recipe is an exception.
Coq Au Vin is a crowd pleaser- it’s incredibly intimidating, but it’s actually really easy to make. It’s also the perfect meal for entertaining or leaving on a porch of someone who is having a hard go at it.
Because I am sensitive to the Vegetarian and Vegan plight, and because I have many folks that are very near and dear to me who are non meat eaters, I like to take traditional meals and convert them to vegetarian or vegan alternatives.
So- Wait no longer for your first edition of ‘A Tale of Two Recipes’, which is literally two recipes with a common thread. These recipes are perfect complements for a dinner party with meat eaters and vegans, also both are very good.
Vegan Au Vin requires additional spices to build a complex flavor, but in many ways, the recipe is very similar. Take a look at HOW MANY herbs I add to the vegan version. You have to be heavy handed here.
VEGANS: Stop scrolling, because raw meat photos are coming, Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 🙂
Onward: For my meat eaters, You’ve got to marinade your chicken overnight, it’s vital to the integrity of the recipe. When you get your chicken out of the marinade, which you will save, it looks like this:
While browning your chicken, you will smell a heavenly aroma and it will make you EXTREMELY thrilled for what is to come.
My oldest son is ‘mostly’ vegetarian- his 7 year old self has made room for a few meat options, and this recipe is once of them. It is uncommonly good.
No matter whether I make the meat version or the vegan version, this is one recipe that I just can’t make enough of to have leftovers. The more I make, the more my people eat.
While this recipe is basically a boozy stew, it really is lovely to sit with a few good friends and enjoy. People will think you’re fancy, and maybe you are, but also you’ll be full and happy.
Coq Au Vin Recipe by Rebecca Lewis
Such Pretty Faces 