Baby Chickens in Red Wine

A true coq au vin should be made with an old, flavorful bird and a strong red wine. The long cooking softens the flesh of the bird and mellows the wine. This dish of young chicken in red wine is a good example of the updating of classic French country cooking using a mixture of modern and traditional methods. The dark, very flavorful sauce results from a technique called tomber à glace; a series of reductions of liquid makes the sauce darker, shinier—almost syrupy.