A favourite dish of mine from the time I was a small child, Coq au Vin has always been a labour of love. Asked to test the Clubhouse LaGrille Smokehouse Maple Marinade in a coq au vin recipe, I was elated!! Armed with bacon, chives, chicken and homemade stock, I was ready! And then I fell. And broke my wrist. Now the challenge was twofold – could I make a coq au vin that is not as labour-intensive as my age-old recipe? And could I manage it with only my dominant hand…

The answer to the second question became fairly apparent as my husband helped chop and lift my stunning Le Creuset pot to the stove. This recipe development experiment would be a family affair, and with my husband involved, it had to involve the grill! The recipe was adapted from the Clubhouse website, which allows you to print ideas in popular recipe book sizes using backgrounds you choose yourself. I was astonished at how simple and full of flavour the dish was, and I only added a few of my own ideas! It also had the added benefit of very easy clean-up facilitated by grilling the chicken on the BBQ.

All You Need for Easy BBQ Coq au Vin:

1 ½ lbs (750 g) chicken thighs
5 tbsp (75 mL) Club House La Grille Smokehouse Maple Rub Marinade, divided
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup (250 mL) each pearl onions and quartered mushrooms
1 cup (250 mL) no salt added diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups (500 mL) homemade Chicken Stock
1 cup (250 mL) red wine
2 tbsp (30 mL) Club House Rice Flour
2 tbsp chives
2 tbsp sage leaves
1 tbsp tomato paste

All You Do for Easy BBQ Coq au Vin:

1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken thighs with 3 tbsp (45 mL) rub marinade and marinate for 30 minutes.
2. On a medium heat grill, cook chicken thighs on both sides for 7 minutes making sure to obtain good grill marks and making sure not to burn chicken.
3. In a medium saucepan on high heat, sauté bacon, pearl onions and mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add remaining rub marinade, tomatoes, chicken stock and grilled chicken thighs.
4. Combine red wine and rice flour along with some of the liquid from the pot to make a roux. This will help you avoid lumps in your sauce. Add it to the above mixture and stir well. Bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat and place into a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven. Cook for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165°F (74°C). *You could also assemble all of the ingredients in a slow cooker after grilling the chicken.
5. Serve over your favorite pasta or rice.

In all, we had a wildly successful dinner with very easy cleanup. The only problem was that there were no leftovers….

What are some of your favourite things to make on the grill? Share your stories with me on Twitter using the hashtag #FlavourStory!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post made possible by Clubhouse La Grille. All images and opinions are our own.