Coq Au Vin
Coq au Vin is a classic. It is also great for feeding big groups and can be made in advance.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- SERVES 6
- 1 1 large free range chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
- 20 Shallots, peeled but left whole
- 150 g Streaky bacon, rind removed and diced into fairly small cubes/ strips
- 250 g Small chestnut mushrooms, washed but left whole (halved if large)
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 Bottle of Red Wine such as Burgundy
- 500 ml Chicken stock
- 2 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 25 g Butter
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Chopped fresh parsley to garnish (optional)
Method
one. Melt the butter with 1tbsp of the oil in a large, deep casserole dish for which you have a lid, and fry the chicken joints on a medium heat, skin side down, until they are nicely golden; then turn them and colour the other side. You may have to do this in three or four batches – don't overcrowd the pan. Remove the joints from the pan with a draining spoon, and set aside.
two. Add more oil to the pan if necessary and then the shallots. Cook until just browned; then stir in the garlic. Add the bacon, bay laves and thyme and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, turn up the heat and add the red wine, chicken stock and vinegar. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, season the sauce with a grind of salt and pepper, give everything a stir, bring to the boil and then simmer gently for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. For a thicker sauce, remove the chicken once it is cooked and keep warm. Cook the sauce over a high heat for a few minutes until the volume of liquid has reduced. Return the chicken back to the pan.
two.