For this week’s Meal of the Week, I am looking at a surprisingly delicious coq au vin served on my United Airlines redeye. While a little heavy for a midnight snack, it really hit the spot.
Taste Test: United Airlines Coq Au Vin
I do not usually get too excited about redeye meals, especially on a short overnight flight from the West Coast to Chicago. The goal is usually simple: recline the seat and sleep as much as possible. The flight is usually in the air for less than four hours, making every moment of rest count.
But on a recent United Airlines 777-200 redeye from San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (ORD), I pre-ordered the coq au vin and was very pleasantly surprised. This is one of United’s centennial entrees and is described as:
Coq au vin
Coq au vin with pommes puree, bacon, and caramelized pearl onions
While I did have some Indian food in the Air India Lounge prior to the flight, I was still hungry so I was actually looking forward to the meal rather than simply treating it as an unnecessary interruption before sleep.
The dish was served shortly after takeoff and included chicken in a rich wine-based sauce, mashed potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, bacon, and pearl onions. For a domestic U.S. airline meal served after midnight, it was genuinely good and the best meal I’ve had on a United domestic flights since the bison meatloaf.
It was served with a side green salad, bread roll, and lemon tart with berries (which is very delicious itself and a huge improvement from the Magnolia bakery desserts).
I wished the portion was twice as large…I was still hungry, though a flight attendant graciously offered me another chicken entree (almost everyone in the cabin skipped the meal and went to sleep).
CONCLUSION
The coq au vin I had on my United Airlines 777-200 redeye from San Francisco to Chicago was delicious and exactly what I wanted before settling in for a short night of sleep…I greatly appreciate that United, unlike American and Delta, serves meals on shorter redeye flights.
The chicken was tender, the sauce was flavorful, and the dish was hearty without being too heavy. This dish is a winner…
In fact, I ordered again and it was excellent the second time around too, though missing bacon:
Yes, I recommend this hearty dish heartily.
Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or one served over two decades ago.
Yum!! Bison is lean and delicious. And that tart looks amazing! Huge fan of the ‘meal of the week’… trying American’s centennial beef Wellington soon, thanks to your recommendations!
It’s interesting how variable United’s meal offerings can be. I had of the best food I’ve had on UA on a recent Australia trip, but flying to Germany earlier this year, I had a couple dishes that were literally inedible.
One place they consistently do well are the sweet breakfast options on international. I don’t usually eat sweets for breakfast, but they’re almost always the best options on United.
Much better than what I was served.
That chicken entree is definitely not to be missed…
Better that the bison, good doctor? Which is healthier?
Chicken, of course…
Mmm. While in school coq Au vin was our “elegant ” go to food in Wisconsin and once we figured out how to reduce the alcohol, it was much better. Braised dishes travel will are hard to mess up. Perfect for the airline catering.
100%