Richard Till's Quick and Easy Coq Au Vin
Ingredients
- 100g thick cut bacon, cut into small strips.
- 4 chicken thigh portions (or a whole chicken cut into serving pieces)
- 2 tbsp flour mixed with 1 ½ tsp salt and a few grinds of black pepper
- 16 - 20 small picking onions, peeled. (tip: they peel very easily if you plunge them in boiling water, simmer for 2 minutes then drain and cool)
- 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 bay leaves
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- a few sprigs of fresh parsley
- 200g tiny button mushrooms
- salt and pepper
Method
Brown the bacon in a heavy frying pan over a moderate heat. When nicely browned, remove the bacon and set aside. Leave the bacon fat in the pan.
Coat the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour, shake off excess.
Working in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan, brown the chicken pieces on all sides over a low to moderate heat. As they are browned, place the pieces in a large casserole of baking dish.
Brown the onions lightly in the frying pan. Add the browned onions and the cloves of garlic to the casserole with the chicken.
Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and wine. Take care to scrape all the browning from the pan into the liquid. Add the liquid from the pan along with the mushrooms and herbs to the casserole dish.
Cover and cook in a preheated 190°C oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Take the casserole from the oven when cooked. Gently lift the chicken, mushrooms and onions from the sauce with a slotted spoon and place on a warmed serving dish or platter. Keep warm.
Bring the liquid in the casserole to a rolling boil and reduce until it is roughly 1 cup of sauce.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve, or if not serving immediately, return the chicken into the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve.
