It is so cold outside. All I want to do is curl up with a cup of coffee and ignore all of my work. Clearly that is not a choice, says my husband, but I can still dream of it. So to get us through these cold days we have been enjoying big family style comfort meals. Where we all sit around the table, eating out of one pot, and talk about our day. As much as I might complain about my skin now totally dry and the weather so cold I can barely step outside, I love these meals together. Fire going, slippers on, and a big warm dish to fill us up.

We loved this served with fresh pasta, particularly Cappellos gluten-free Fettuccine (it takes 45 seconds to cook!), and tastes incredible. But it is also amazing with rice, other pasta shaped noodles, and even potatoes. In all honesty, I'm in this for the mushroom cream sauce. The chicken is good, don't get me wrong. The sauce, the mushrooms, the little bits of bacon and onions, topped with fresh parsley. It is comfort food at its best. So this meal must be served with a big loaf of bread. Because dipping is the best part.

Coq au Riesling
serves 4-6
adapted from the fabulous Nigella

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 strips of bacon, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8 pieces of chicken (can be a combination of thighs, drumsticks, etc.)
2 cups mushrooms, like cremini, sliced
2 cups Riesling
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Dry off the chicken with a paper towel and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a large pan (I do this all in one pan, so pick your favorite largest pan), melt the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken browning one side, flip and brown the other side. You want a really deep brown on this chicken at a high heat. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the bacon and onions and cook until the onions are soft. Add the garlic, cooking for just about 1 minute and then remove the bacon, onions and garlic from the pan and set aside. Add the mushrooms to the empty pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the bacon, onions, garlic and chicken back to the pan.

Slowly, pour the wine into the pan, making sure to pout next to the chicken pieces not on top of them. Let the mixture come up to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes (making sure the chicken is cooked through).

Turn up the heat to medium-high, and add the cream, again making sure to pour around the chicken not on top of it (this helps keep the skin crisp). Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Letting the sauce thicken.

Taste, and then add salt and pepper (per your taste). Serve with chopped parsley.