Coq au Vin

Coq au vin (French: "rooster in wine") is a French fricassee of rooster cooked with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic. Older roosters are traditionally used because they contain a lot of connective tissue, which creates a richer broth when cooked.Many regions of France have variants of coq au vin using the local wine, such as coq au vin jaune, coq au Riesling, coq au Champagne, and so on. The most extravagant version is coq au Chambertin, but this generally involves Chambertin more in name than in practice.

Yield:

Serves 2

Ingredients

1. 15ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
2. 150g (5 oz) bacon lardons
3. 30g (1 oz) butter
4. 2 chicken legs
5. 6 baby onions [shallots], peeled
6. 2 carrots
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 2.5ml (½ tsp) dried thyme
9. 250ml (1 cup) red wine
10. 250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
11. 15ml (1 tbsp) tomato purée
12. 5ml (1 tsp) brown sugar
13. 200g (7 oz) button mushrooms, washed
14. 15ml (1 tbsp) corn flour (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 170°C/350°F/gas 4).
2. Heat the oil in a large cast iron pot and fry the bacon until lightly browned. Remove the bacon and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in the oil and fry the chicken pieces until browned.
4. Add the bacon, onions, carrots, bay leaf, thyme, wine, stock, purée and sugar to the meat.
5. When the sauce is bubbling, place the lid on the pot and transfer it to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
6. After the elapsed time, lower the temperature to 130°C (fan 110°C/250°F/gas 1) and cook for another hour.
7. After an hour, place the mushrooms with the chicken and cook for another 30 minutes at 130°C (fan 110°C/250°F/gas 1).
8. Place the pot on the hob on low heat, remove the chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
9. Mix the corn flour with a bit of water and slowly pour into the sauce, stirring at the same time. When the sauce has thickened to your desire, serve immediately.

Notes