This month Nancy Brazil of Pull That Cork is leading our #winepw weekend group in an exploration of one my favorite wine regions – Germany. See the preview post to learn all about our theme. When I was actively studying for my WSET Diploma I dreamt of visiting the Mosel Valley in Germany and Alsace in France. Three years ago I fulfilled that dream with an amazing trip. Here I have recreated a dish from that vacation – Coq Au Riesling. It is like Coq Au Vin except with Riesling instead of a red Burgundy.
Coq Au Riesling
- 8 ounces thick bacon or pancetta, cut into strips
- 1 cup chopped shallot
- 1 cup mushrooms - chestnut or bella
- 2 smashed garlic cloves
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
- 4 chicken thighs, with skin and bone
- bayleaf
- nutmeg ( I use whole)
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1 bottle Riesling (dry or off dry)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ large lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- parsley for garnish
- ,
- Marinate (2 hours - overnight) chicken with ½ bottle of Riesling (reserving 2 cups for sauce)
- Heat small amount of olive oil or butter in skillet (depending on fat content of bacon)
- Brown bacon, remove from pan.
- Brown shallots and garlic with thyme remove from pan.
- Brown mushrooms, remove from pan. Sprinkle mushrooms with freshly grated nutmeg - approx ½ tsp)
- Remove chicken from marinade. Pat dry. Brown chicken, remove from pan.
- Pour off most of fat, add flour and remaining 2 cups of wine and deglaze pan.
- Add chicken, shallots mixed with garlic and thyme, and bacon.
- Chicken skins should not be submerged completely (skins above liquid). Cover partially with lid and cook on low simmer for 40 min.
- Add mushrooms and and cook for 15 minutes more.
- Remove chicken to separate broiler safe pan and put under broiler to crisp skins
- Meanwhile add cream and squeeze of lemon to sauce and thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Layer - sauce, chicken, parsley garnish
This post is sponsored by importers Winesellers, Ltd so we each had quite a few German wines to explore. So many that we had to spread them over several nights. We conned some friends into making us dinner. If you don’t want to make a Coq Au Riesling, this lovely roasted chicken was also a great pairing.
I was excited to see quite a number of different German regions and grapes in our line up. I’ll just share our faves.
German Wine Tasting Notes
Fitz Riesling Sekt Extra Trocken from Pfalz
It is always fun to get a sparkling Riesling. This would have been made in the Tank Method similar to Prosecco to allow the lovely fruitiness to stand out. Slightly off dry with tons of bubbles. Meyer Lemon on a shy nose followed by light peach, a hint of petrol, floral, and pineapple on the finish.
2016 Dr. Nagler Riesling Kabinett from Rheingau
Such a wonderful treat to have a Riesling from this region of Germany. Tangelo zest, peach, floral and a hint of petrol on the nose. Fantastic acid with slatey minerality, lovely peach, wafting floral notes, and tart white grapefruit undertones.
A couple of Spatlese really stood out paired with dinner and dessert
2016 GEORG ALBRECHT SCNEIDER NIERSTEINER HIPPING RIESLING SPATLESE
The sweeter of the two Spatlese and destined for aging if you can wait that long. Toasteed pineapple, candied tangerine peel, cutie oranges, peach, petrol and slate on the nose. Sweet and balanced palate with a crazy fruity rush of all the things you enjoyed on the nose.
2016 Bollig-Lehnert Riesling Spatlese from Piesporter Goldtrophfchen
Wow. Simply wow. This single vineyard Riesling from the village of Piesport was an absolute delight. For such a beautifully delicate wine the nose was so complex with mandarin orange, lime, slate, and spicy Asian Pear. All of these lovely aromas repeat on the palate with zippy, racy acidity. This spatlese was perfect with our Apple Upside Down Cake. Click for recipe.
I cannot wait to see what our #winepw friends thought of these wines and more importantly what wonderful pairings they shared. Don’t miss a single one.
- Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be tempting us with “Feasting for Sankt Nikolaus Tag: German Sips, Schweineschnitzel, Spätzle, and Sauerkraut”
- Kat from Bacchus Travel & Tours will share “A German Holiday Celebration #winePW“
- Sarah from Curious Cuisinière is pairing “Chicken Schnitzel and German Riesling“
- Deanna of Asian Test Kitchen will discuss “German Riesling: The Default Asian Food Pairing #winePW“
- Jade of TastingPour will tempt us with “Coq Au Riesling #winePW“
- Jeff from FoodWineClick discusses “50 Shades of Kabinett Riesling“
- Michelle of Rockin Red Blog will share “German Wines: Expect The Unexpected #WinePW“
- Jill from L’Occasion will “Outfit Your Holiday Table With German Wines“
- Jane from Always Ravenous will share “Food Pairings with German Riesling #winepw“
- David of Cooking Chat has prepared “Chicken Sausage Veggie Bowl with German Riesling“
- Gwendolyn from wine predator will enjoy “German Riesling and Fun Fondue With Friends for #WinePW“
- Cindy of Grape Experiences has you covered with “Your Party Planning Checklist: Must-Have German Rieslings“
- Rupal from Journeys of A Syrah Queen will share “Rieslings For The Holidays“
- Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm will be “Celebrating St. Nicholas Day”
- Jennifer of Vino Travels – An Italian Wine Blog will share “Everyday Pairings with German Riesling”
- Nancy at Pull That Cork will share “Two Styles of German Wine and a Meal for Both #winePW“
I will be looking for Sekt to try and your Coq Au Riesling looks really good. What a fun evening. Cheers!
Thanks Nancy and thanks for hosting.
I, too, am on the Sekt hunt. And that coq au riesling looks delicious.
This dish has become on of our faves.
Up until this month I had only had sweet Rieslings that I would pour with apple desserts. It is a perfect pairing. Your chicken looks amazing and I’m sure it paired well with the dry Rieslings.
I think off dry to medium sweet Rieslings can be surprisingly good with savory dishes.
Chicken and white wine, I like it! I wouldn’t think to braise in Riesling but this does look yummy. So does that beautiful apple cake!
I would not have thought of it either if I had not ordered it in Alsace.
An interesting twist on a classic recipe! Tasty idea!
I like it better than with a Burgundy!
I love chicken ideas — such a staple but it can tend to bore my family. This is awesome!
This is definitely not boring chicken!