Coq au Vin (Chicken in Red Wine)
This is my take on the French classic that seems to have fallen slightly out of fashion of late but, believe me, when a dish is this simple to make and this delicious to eat, it will be back with a bang soon! So get ahead of the trend and make this gorgeous stew that perfectly bridges the gap between summer and autumn with the lightness of chicken and the depth of good red wine...
Coq au Vin (Chicken in Red Wine)
Serves 6
1 onion, sliced
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small bunch fresh thyme
6 sage leaves
600ml red wine
6 small skinless and boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
75g butter
3 tbsp plain flour
250g smoked streaky bacon, chopped into pieces
1 tbsp tomato purée
400g mushrooms, halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the sliced onion in a large bowl with the celery, garlic, herbs and wine. Mix, then add the chicken breasts, season with salt and black pepper and marinate for at least 1 hour.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Sit a colander over a large saucepan and strain the marinated chicken, reserving the onion, garlic, herbs and celery. Dab the chicken with kitchen paper to dry it. Heat the oil and 50g of the butter in a deep ovenproof frying pan or casserole dish. Add the chicken breasts and fry on a medium-high heat, for 5–10 minutes each side, or until browned all over – you may need to do this in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Meanwhile, set the pan with the wine marinade over a high heat and boil, for 5–10 minutes, until the volume of liquid has reduced by a third. Add the flour to a bowl with 150ml water and whisk until smooth. Stir in a little of the hot wine, and add this mixture to the rest of the wine in the pan. Keep hot.
Add the bacon to the frying pan or casserole dish and fry over a high heat for about 10 minutes, or until browned. Add the reserved onion and celery and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the hot wine sauce and tomato purée to the frying pan or casserole dish with the reserved sage leaves and thyme, salt and black pepper and bring to a boil. Stir until thickened and add the browned chicken.
Bring back to the boil, cover with a lid and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a medium pan and fry the mushrooms over a medium heat for 5–10 minutes, or until just cooked. Add to the chicken casserole just before serving. Remove the sage leaves and thyme from the casserole and serve the casserole hot with mashed potato and shredded cabbage.
Coq au Vin (Chicken in Red Wine)
Serves 61 onion, sliced
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small bunch fresh thyme
6 sage leaves
600ml red wine
6 small skinless and boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
75g butter
3 tbsp plain flour
250g smoked streaky bacon, chopped into pieces
1 tbsp tomato purée
400g mushrooms, halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the sliced onion in a large bowl with the celery, garlic, herbs and wine. Mix, then add the chicken breasts, season with salt and black pepper and marinate for at least 1 hour.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Sit a colander over a large saucepan and strain the marinated chicken, reserving the onion, garlic, herbs and celery. Dab the chicken with kitchen paper to dry it. Heat the oil and 50g of the butter in a deep ovenproof frying pan or casserole dish. Add the chicken breasts and fry on a medium-high heat, for 5–10 minutes each side, or until browned all over – you may need to do this in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Meanwhile, set the pan with the wine marinade over a high heat and boil, for 5–10 minutes, until the volume of liquid has reduced by a third. Add the flour to a bowl with 150ml water and whisk until smooth. Stir in a little of the hot wine, and add this mixture to the rest of the wine in the pan. Keep hot.
Add the bacon to the frying pan or casserole dish and fry over a high heat for about 10 minutes, or until browned. Add the reserved onion and celery and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the hot wine sauce and tomato purée to the frying pan or casserole dish with the reserved sage leaves and thyme, salt and black pepper and bring to a boil. Stir until thickened and add the browned chicken.
Bring back to the boil, cover with a lid and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a medium pan and fry the mushrooms over a medium heat for 5–10 minutes, or until just cooked. Add to the chicken casserole just before serving. Remove the sage leaves and thyme from the casserole and serve the casserole hot with mashed potato and shredded cabbage.
Comments
Post a Comment