Red Wine Marinated Chicken and Bacon Skewers

This recipe is based on and takes many flavors from a classic French peasant dish known as Coq au Vin. Simply put, chicken cooked in wine. The dish is absolutely wonderful and starts with crisping up thick pieces of bacon, known as lardons in French, and then proceeding to cook the dish in the bacon fat. The chicken simmers for a few hours in red wine with mushrooms and pearl onions. A marvelous dish and my inspiration for this one. I have used many of the flavors in my marinade for the chicken and then threaded the chicken with bacon on skewers to grill. As a serving suggestion I have it shown atop a light salad of baby field greens, slices and mushrooms and garnished with additional bacon bits. The chicken is so moist and delicious you may not even want to dress the salad but rather enjoy it as it is but if you do prefer to dress it a simple vinaigrette or my Creamy Roasted Onion and Garlic Dressing would be a delicious compliment to this dish. I hope you enjoy.

Red Wine Marinated Chicken and Bacon Skewers

Ingredients:

Marinade:

3 large garlic cloves, smashed

3 medium bay leaves

4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup red wine

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup parsley, loosely packed

1/4 cup onion, diced

black pepper

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1" to 1 1/2" cubes

4 slices bacon, cut in half

Place all of the marinade ingredients into a zip top bag, which has been set in another dish in case of leakage. Add the chicken to the marinade, season with black pepper and secure bag to close. Gently shake to coat the chicken with the marinade. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

Soak about 8 small wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the liquid. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Preheat a cast iron grill pan on high heat until screaming hot. While the grill pan is heating prepare the skewers. Poke the end of the skewer through a piece of bacon, about 1/2" or so from the end. Slide it down the skewer so you can add a cube of chicken. Fold the bacon back over the chicken and poke with skewer again to hold in place. Each skewer should hold about 2 or 3 pieces of chicken, depending on how it was cubed, and you should end with the last flap of bacon over the chicken. Place a few completed skewers at a time into the hot grill pan and cook for about 3 minutes for each side for a total of about 10 to 12 minutes of cooking. Remove and repeat with more skewers until they are all cooked.

Nutrition Facts
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 189.3
Total Fat 4.2 g
Saturated Fat 1.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.5 g
Cholesterol 70.4 mg
Sodium 357.0 mg
Potassium 147.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 3.3 g
Dietary Fiber 0.5 g
Sugars 0.1 g
Protein 25.5 g