Apparently I am all about cozy recipes right now, and this Easy Coq au Riesling is just that.
If there’s one thing my entire family loves, it’s a really good chicken dinner. I’ve mentioned this before, but growing up my brothers, and I okay my mom and I too, survived off of chicken and rice. It’s a Gerard family thing/staple/comfort food. My dad would make roasted chicken, or potato chip chicken (cookbook recipe, and probably my brothers all time favorite food), a few times a week. We would even eat chicken leftovers after school.
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Easy Chicken Coq au Riesling from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo. I definitely do not survive off chicken and rice anymore, but I still consider this combo to be one of my favorites. And I totally consider a good chicken dinner as my kind of comfort food. Plus, something about a roasted chicken is so simple, yet so elegant. I don’t know why exactly, but it’s always an impressive, crowd pleasing meal to serve. I think we have to give Ina Garten credit for making the roasted chicken so popular though, she is the queen of a great roasted chicken. Anyway, moving right along here…
The month of December is about two things for me cooking wise. Thing one, easy meals that I can either quickly prepare or prep in advance. December has a full long to-do list… holiday parties, family time, and just general chaos. I LOVE it, but it doesn’t leave much time for cooking up a storm in the kitchen. It’s always nice to have easy recipes on hand during this crazy holiday month. Thing two, really good, cozy, classic, comfort food. December is cold, the days are short, and the nights are long. Like most people, this leaves me craving warm comfort foods. I love embracing these cravings and cooking up some of the coziest meals to enjoy with family and friends. This chicken is both easy and cozy.
And it’s all about the sauce. It’s creamy, simple but flavorful, and delicious when spooned over the roasted chicken. If you’re curious, Coq au Riesling just means chicken cooked in a wine based cream sauce. It’s basically the white wine version of Chicken Coq au Vin (chicken cooked in red wine), and you guys, it’s beyond delicious. As mentioned, the creamy sauce is everything, but unlike traditional Coq au Riesling recipes, I added one secret ingredient to give it a little boost of flavor. I used Sir Kensington’s Dijon Mustard (always my go-to Dijon Mustard) to give the sauce the slightest tangy hit of flavor. You barely know it’s there, but the mustard’s flavor pairs so well with the dry white wine and cream in the sauce. It’s what makes this recipe over the top delicious.
Traditionally, Coq au Riesling is made with chicken breasts, thighs, and legs, but to speed up the cooking time I love simply using bone in, skin on chicken breasts. Leaving the skin on and the bone in adds all the flavor, but using breasts makes this a quick cooking, under an hour, dinner. Plus, it’s also a little lighter this way too. This dish is the perfect easy Monday night recipe, but also fancy enough to serve for a holiday dinner or party. Bonus? It’s all made in ONE skillet. Yes, yes, yes, loving my one skillet recipes so much these days!
For real though, the sauce is just the BEST. Trust me. {This post is sponsored by Sir Kensington’s. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!}
