Recipe: Healthy Coq Au Vin. No, Really!

I'm seven days into my second annual "Sober January." As if foregoing any and all alcoholic drinks for 31 days isn't hard enough, I'm upping the ante. Sober January, meet No Carb January. Yes, you read right. No alcohol and no carbs for 31 days. Why am I following such a "crazy" diet (as one friend lovingly described it) right after the holidays? It's simple. A colleague putting himself through the same culinary torture put it best: "I'm doing Sober January, well, because December was BIG." 

Eating a restricted diet can get really boring, really fast. To avoid meal monotony and keep the tasty meals flowing, I've scoured magazines and cookbooks for health-conscious recipes. First up: Clean Eating Magazine's Coq Au Vin, a classic French dish typically laden with butter. Clean Eating's version removes the calories but keeps the classic taste; each serving is only 289 calories and 3 grams of fat. Part of the modification means removing the bacon, but I promise you won't miss it. I made this recipe for dinner last night, enjoyed leftovers for lunch today (minus the potatoes), and am watching Bryan dig into his as we speak. It's delish!

Coq Au Vin

Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon each sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 2lb boneless, skinless chicken pieces (6 thighs and 3 breasts, halved)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
• 4 cups quartered Cremini or white mushrooms
• 12 oz. new potatoes, cut into bite size pieces (about 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 tbsp low sodium tomato paste
• 1 tsp Herbes de Provence or dried thyme
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, turning to coat in mixture. Mist a large heavy skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add chicken and cook 4-6 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to a plate; mist skillet with cooking spray and return to stovetop on medium heat. Add onion, carrot and mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently for four minutes. 

Add potatoes, broth, wine, tomato paste and herbes; stir to combine. Return chicken and any juices to pan in a single layer, nestling chicken into broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced and potatoes are tender. 

Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and vegetables to shallow dinner bowls or plates. Bring sauce to a boil; boil until sauce is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, 3-4 minutes. stir in parsley and pour sauce over chicken and vegetables.