Coq au Vin

Approx. Cost: £7

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 2 Hours

Serves: 4

A traditional peasants dish from France. So many people make the mistake of adding tomatoes, to which any respectable French person will scold you for!

Recipe:
25g Butter
4 Cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
150g Streaky Bacon, cut into thick pieces
150g Shallots, peeled
1 Bunch Fresh Thyme, Roughly chopped
350g Button Mushrooms
1 Bottle Red Wine
400ml Chicken Stock (2 cubes!)
1 Medium Chicken, cut into 8 pieces, on the bone but skin removed
1 Bunch of Flat leaf Parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
1 ½ Tablespoons cornflour

Method

1. Pour the red wine over the chicken and leave to marinate for a minimum of 24 hours. Remove the chicken before you start cooking.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180’c. Heat a large sauce pan over a high heat; add the butter and the shallots. Cook until just beginning to brown. Now add the garlic, thyme and bacon and cook for another couple of minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook for a minute longer. Then pour in the red wine and chicken stock, bring to the boil.
4. Place the chicken pieces in an oven proof dish; pour over the red wine mix from the sauce pan. Cover with a lid or foil and cook in the oven for 1 ½ hours or until the chicken is tender.
5. Remove the chicken and keep warm. Place the sauce into a pan. Bring to the boil and thicken with a little cornflour (see hints and tips for how!). Season with salt and pepper to your taste, add the parsley.
6. To serve, place two pieces of chicken on each plate and spoon over plenty of sauce. Great with mashed potatoes and cabbage.