'Coq Au Vin' Soup With Potato Gnocchi
With tender juicy chicken meatballs, fresh vegetables, wine infused broth, herbs and store bought gnocchi, this is the coziest of crave-worthy winter soups. And, best of all, it has most of the traditional elements of Coq Au Vin without tons of time spent in the kitchen.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1½ lb ground chicken
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1½ tbs parsley, finely chopped (plus extra for serving)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tbs white wine
Soup:
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, diced
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium carrots, medium diced
- 1 yellow onion, medium diced
- ½ lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 10 cups chicken stock (homemade or store bought low sodium)
- 2 cups white wine
- ½ cup cognac or brandy
- ½ cup sherry wine
- 1 tbs thyme, chopped
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ¾ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lb potato gnocchi
Instructions
Meatballs:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the chicken, parmesan, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Add the egg and wine then mix to combine. Roll the meat into 1 - 1¼ inch in size balls (I used a one inch ice cream scoop). You'll have about 30 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on the parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you move on to the next step.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until lightly brown (about 10 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a plate.
- In batches, add the meatballs to the pot and lightly brown on all sides. Remove to a plate and keep warm. The meatballs will not be fully cooked at this point. This is fine as they will finish cooking later in the broth.
- Add the carrots, onions and mushrooms to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly tender (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Add the cognac and sherry and deglaze the pan. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.
- Add the white wine and thyme and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Return the meatballs to the pot and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until the meatballs are fully cooked.
- Once the soup is ready, cook the potato gnocchi in a separate pot according to package directions (this should only take a few minutes). Add a few of the gnocchi to each bowl, ladle in the soup and top with the reserved bacon and parsley. Enjoy!