Coq au vin is essentially chicken pieces flavoured with herbs and braised in wine. Most chefs select a white wine for this dish, but it is equally good if cooked in red wine, in fact at this time of the year when robust, gutsy dishes fit the bill, red wine makes for the perfect flavour. You will notice that for this dish I used small red onions too, just to give it a rustic look. If you cook this the day before it is needed its flavour will be further enhanced.
This is such an easy dish to cook you may wonder how it can be so flavoursome when so little effort is required to prepare it.
To serve 4 people you will need:
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Knob of butter as big as a walnut
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One generous dash of vegetable oil
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One chicken weighing approx 1.5 Kg – cut into portions
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4 small rashers streaky bacon – diced
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8 small shallots/ pickling onions/ or small red onions
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2 large carrots cut into batons
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250 button mushrooms – left whole
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Dessert spoon plain flour
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2 large cloves garlic – chopped fine
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Bunch of fresh herbs to include parsley, thyme and marjoram
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper corns to season.
Method:
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Turn the oven to 180°C or gas mark 4
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Using a large heavy bottomed pan warm the butter and oil together and when this mix is hot, add the chicken pieces, having first dusted them with seasoned flour.
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Cook chicken pieces until they begin to brown and add the streaky bacon pieces to the pan and cook them too.
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Spoon chicken and bacon pieces into a casserole dish and cook the onions/shallots, carrots and mushrooms in the same oil until they brown, adding a little more oil if needed.
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Add the chopped herbs and garlic to the pot, then the chicken stock and wine. Stir well, season and place in the oven for at least 45 minutes. Remove from the oven when the chicken is cooked and allow to settle for ten minutes.