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Coq au vin
Coq au vin bourguignon: chicken braised in red wine with lardons, mushrooms and baby onions
Coq au vin comes from Burgundy, where farm cooks once used the local red wine to soften a tough old rooster for a long Sunday lunch. This version uses chicken thighs and legs, which stay juicy, and contains pork (smoked lardons). The wine cooks for over an hour, so most of the alcohol is driven off but not all of it; for an alcohol-free version use 500 ml chicken stock with 100 ml red grape juice and 1 tbsp red wine vinegar. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes and a crusty loaf. Chef's tip: marinate the chicken in the wine overnight in the fridge; it colours the meat deep purple and seasons it right through.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken
For the braise
For the garnish
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put the 3 ⅛ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin on in a bowl with the 2 ½ cups dry red wine (Burgundy-style), 3 cloves garlic, 4 sprigs fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
5 minStep 2: Lift the chicken out and pat it very dry; keep the wine. Season with 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper.
5 minStep 3: Fry the 5 ½ oz smoked bacon lardons in a heavy casserole over a medium heat for 6 minutes until crisp. Lift out, leaving the fat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and brown the chicken skin-side down in batches, 5 minutes a side, until deep golden. A common mistake is putting wet chicken in the pan; it won't brown, so dry it well.
20 minStep 4: Fry 1 onion and 1 carrot in the same pot for 5 minutes, then pour in the wine with its herbs and ¾ cup chicken stock. Bring to the boil, scraping up the browned bits, and boil for 3 minutes.
8 minStep 5: Return the chicken and half the lardons, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Meanwhile fry the 9 oz baby onions or shallots and 9 oz button mushrooms in a little of the fat in a frying pan for 10 minutes until golden.
45 minStep 6: Check the chicken: the thickest thigh should reach 165°F and the meat should be tender at the bone. Lift it onto a warm dish.
2 minStep 7: Strain the sauce if you like it smooth, then stir in the 1 tbsp cornflour mix and boil for 3 minutes until it coats a spoon. Add the shallots, mushrooms and the rest of the lardons, return the chicken and heat through for 5 minutes. Rest 5 minutes off the heat and scatter with 2 tbsp fresh parsley.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does coq au vin take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dry red wine (burgundy-style)?
- Stock with 1 tsp red wine vinegar per 120ml (½ cup).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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