The celebrated French classic, Coq au Vin, is given an innovative take at Charleston’s popular neighborhood French restaurant, Brasserie La Banque, nestled in the historic downtown. The team at La Banque, led by Jared Hammond, elevates roasted chicken breast with red wine, mushroom, bacon, watercress, and chicken jus to take this classic to a new level. Make the brine the night before you want to cook the dish; the chicken will need to brine overnight.
Step 1: Brine the Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 skin-on airline chicken breasts
- 1 qt red wine
- ½ cup salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2-3 stems parsley
- ½ of a lemon
- 1 qt ice
Directions
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar (or more if needed)
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Step 2: Braise the Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 8 oz bacon, medium dice
- 4 oz yellow onion julienne
- 1 lb cremini mushroom stems removed, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- salt, to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Render bacon in a heavy bottom sauce pot until crispy.
- Remove bacon from the pan and reserve.
- In the bacon fat, sauté onions and mushrooms until tender, add garlic, and sauté until aromatic; do not brown garlic.
- Deglaze the pan with red wine; add thyme and bay leaf; reduce wine until au sec.
- While the mushrooms are cooking down, make the puree.
- Finish with vinegar, and season to taste with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Step 3: Make the Watercress Puree
Ingredients
- 4 oz watercress
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt, to taste
Directions
- Combine watercress and oil in a blender, blend until smooth.
- Season to taste with salt.
- Setting the puree to the side, cook and roast the chicken.
Step 4: Roast the Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbls unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1 sprig thyme
- salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
-
- Lightly season the chicken breast on all sides with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Sear chicken skin-side down with oil in a sauté pan over high heat.
- Once golden brown, flip chicken breast and add butter, garlic clove, and thyme to the pan; baste the chicken with the butter until it begins to brown.
- Finish cooking the chicken breast in oven until internal temperature reaches 165F.
- Remove chicken from pan and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes prior to slicing/serving.
Step 5: Plate the Chicken
- Drizzle puree on the plate.
- Place a serving worth of mushrooms over the puree.
- Let the chicken rest for 3-4 minutes before plating, fan and slice it, and place on top of the mushrooms and garnish with fresh herbs: watercress, thyme, parsley.
