“Cheat” Coq Au Vin

I’m so excited to be share this recipe with you today! I help women create fun, meaningful and romantic lives so they’re no longer dependent on food for comfort, companionship and excitement.  A huge part of ‘living more’ is having fun with your food. Something my husband and I do once a week is have “theme nights”. On Italian night we make meatballs, pull out our checked tableclothes, light candles in wine bottles and talk with our hands. On Mexican night we dance to Gipsy kings in the kitchen, wear our sombreros and eat tacos.  But my favorite night is by far French night.  I get to wear a fabulous outfit, put on red lipstick, listen to Carla Bruni, speak in broken French and make my “cheat” coq au vin.

It’s “cheat” because I don’t light cognac on fire or spend an hour sweating over the stove.

Below I lay out my very simple recipe that takes half the time and I actually bake it so I have time to set the table and touch up my lipstick.

I love using whole chicken legs with the skin because it’s a great source of zinc, iron and tons of vitamin B. But if you’re worried about the fat, you can substitute for skinless chicken breasts.

If you want more tips for living more so you can weigh less, make sure to visit LiveMoreWeighLess.com.

“Cheat” Coq Au Vin (aka chicken with bacon and mushrooms, ooo la la)

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken legs, skin on
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 thin slices of bacon (I prefer uncured nitrate free)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, halved
2/3 cups full bodied, dry red wine

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and pat dry chicken and sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly on both sides of the chicken, set aside.

In a large oven safe skillet, sautée bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, about 3 minutes.  Remove bacon and save, but leave the fat in the pan.  Sautée onions in the bacon fat until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove onions and save.

Sear chicken pieces in the skillet with the remaining bacon fat over medium-high heat.  The goal here is not to cook the chicken all the way through but to get the skin crispy.  About 5 minutes a side.  Remove chicken and set it aside.

Put cooked bacon, cooked onions and raw mushrooms in the skillet and stir so the three ingredients are evenly distributed.  Create little “nests” for the chicken and nestle the pieces in the veggies. Pour over wine evenly.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until juices run clear. This is the perfect time to set the scene: light candles, pour the wine, turn on the French tunes and touch up your lipstick.

Serve with a simple side salad or hericot verde. Bon appetit!

Did you know that there’s a certain way to eat that helps you burn a ton more calories? To learn the skill that most weight loss programs don’t tell you, click here.