Coq Au Vin

Another post and another one plagiarised from Olive Magazine, as mentioned before I've not been too creative of late but I wanted to share this with you as its bloody lovely

I’ve never had this classic before, primarily I think, it’s because it was, until the recent vogue for retro foods, deemed as old hat and sat along side of Black Forrest Gateaux and Prawn Cocktail, both of which are making a comeback

Jointing the chicken was a new experience and to be honest it was quite tricky to get it right, even after watching a few Videos on You Tube. Still, it’s a useful skill to have I guess.

The overnight marination makes for some lovely deep flavours

The only change I would make to this is to use less bacon or perhaps used non-smoked. The recommended amount here tends to dominate the flavour of the dish too much.

That aside it was very, very good indeed

1 large chicken , about 2-2.5kg, jointed

1 garlic clove , crushed

1 bottle red wine

olive oil

12 shallots , peeled

250g smoked bacon , diced

300g mushrooms , sliced

400ml chicken stock (You can use the Carcase after Jointing to make this)

1 bay leaf

1 sprig thyme

20g plain flour

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley , chopped

Put the chicken joints, garlic and wine in a non-metallic bowl and marinate overnight in the fridge.

The next day, heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Remove the chicken from the marinade (keep the marinade for later). Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the shallots and cook for 10 minutes until golden. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a casserole.

Add the chicken to the same pan and cook, turning until browned all over. Add to the casserole with the shallots.

Add the bacon and mushrooms to the pan and cook until browned then add into the casserole.

Add the marinade, stock, bay and thyme to the frying pan and bring to the boil to deglaze. Season and tip into the casserole. Cover with a sheet of baking parchment, put on the lid cook in the oven for 1 hour.

When cooked take out of the oven, remove the chicken and shallots with a slotted spoon to a serving dish and keep warm. Sift the flour over the remaining sauce and whisk in until smooth. Put on the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. Then add the chicken back in and stir through the chopped parsley

This goes really with some crusty bread