Coq Au Vin, Weightwatchers Style

Who says you can't lose weight and enjoy your food too? I spend many hours planning meals and documenting the food I've eaten. This is actually a recipe I got from the Weightwatchers website, and it's one of the few that's caught my eye so readily. It really stands out with prunes, chicken thighs, herbs, and a nice rich broth with wine. I really couldn't tell the difference between this and a traditional version made with bacon and butter. I will probably use mushrooms instead of prunes next time and I don't think it needed the pearl onions. I served it with a side of vinegary kale.

Fast and Easy Coq au Vin (from weightwatchers.com)

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

Cooking spray

6 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (about 4 oz each)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup thinly sliced carrot rounds

1 cup thinly sliced celery

3/4 cup frozen pearl onions (do not thaw)

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp dried thyme

2 tsp crushed dried rosemary

3 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups red wine

12 pitted prunes

1 bay leaf

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Coat a large Dutch oven or a flame-safe casserole with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper; add to pot. Brown chicken well on both sides, about 5 minutes, turning once; transfer to a plate.

Off heat, coat pot with cooking spray again if it’s dry. Add carrots, celery and onions; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have a few brown markings, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle flour, thyme and rosemary over vegetables; stir until flour begins to dissolve and even brown a little, about 1 minute.

Pour broth into pot, stirring quickly and constantly to avoid lumps. (A whisk might work best if its mesh is tight enough to prevent vegetables from getting stuck in it.) Once sauce is smooth, stir in wine, prunes and bay leaf.

Bring to a simmer, stirring continuously. Cover pot, place in oven and bake until sauce has thickened a little and chicken is tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes.

Serving size: one chicken thigh and about 3/4 of cup sauce.