Name: Coq au vin (chicken in wine)
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 20 gram butter; 4 piece shallots. peeled or 2 medium onions, quartered; 2 stalks celery, left whole; 3 rashers smoky bacon; 2 tablespoon olive oil; 1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces with excess fat removed, or 6-8 chicken pieces; 1 cup red wine - pinot noir or burgundy; 250 millilitre chicken stock; 2 bay leaves; 2 tablespoon fresh thyme; 2 cup brown button mushrooms, stalks removed; salt and pepper; 2 teaspoon cornflour to thicken gravy - optional; crusty bread and green salad to serve, plus parsley, if desired

Coq au vin (chicken in wine)

I love this easy variation on the original coq au vin recipe. It’s a great dish for large numbers as it can be prepared the day before and served from the large pot it’s cooked in. It needs nothing more than some bread to mop up the juices and a simple salad to refresh the palate. C’est bon!

Serves 6

Cook

1H 50M

Ingredients

20 gram butter

4 piece shallots. peeled or 2 medium onions, quartered

2 stalks celery, left whole

3 rashers smoky bacon

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces with excess fat removed, or 6-8 chicken pieces

1 cup red wine – pinot noir or burgundy

250 millilitre chicken stock

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoon fresh thyme

2 cup brown button mushrooms, stalks removed

salt and pepper

2 teaspoon cornflour to thicken gravy – optional

crusty bread and green salad to serve, plus parsley, if desired

Method

1.In a large pot or flame-proof casserole dish, melt the butter and add the shallots, celery stalks and bacon. Sauté until golden, then remove and set aside.

2.Add the olive oil and brown the chicken pieces in the pan. If necessary, do this in 2-3 batches.

3.Once finished browning, return all the chicken, onions, celery and bacon to the pot. Add the wine and bring to the boil for 2 minutes.

4.Add the chicken stock, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to the boil, cover, then simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Alternatively, cover and cook in an oven preheated to 160°C for 90 minutes. Halfway through cooking, add the mushrooms and season.

5.Just before serving, you can choose to thicken the gravy by adding 2 tsp cornflour mixed with a little water into the pot, cooking for a further 10 minutes.

6.Serve with crusty bread and a green salad, and garnish with parsley.