Classic coq au vin

About coq au vin

Coq au vin is french for "chicken in wine", in this case, we're going to cook chicken in red wine. It's a very typical classic french dish. The chicken will cook for a very long time in the oven, and because of this, the meat will easily fall off the bones. Let's get started.

Preparation – 10 minutes

Peel the baby onions. To save time and effort it's best to boil water in a small pan. Then add in the baby onions with skin and all for about 15 - 20 seconds. Let cool off for a bit, and voila!

You can now peel off the outer layers of the baby onions with ease! prepare 150 ml of chicken stock. Clean and cut 100 grams of button mushrooms.

Cooking coq au vin – 2 hours

Generously season the chicken legs with freshly ground pepper and sea salt. Pre-heat your oven and set the temperature to be 150 degrees celsius (300 fahrenheit) for a fan oven or 130 degrees celsius (265 fahrenheit) for gas 2 oven.

Heat up one tablespoon of vegetable oil in the skillet on high heat. If you don't have a large skillet with a lid, use a large casserole with a lid instead. Cooking time increases when you use a casserole, so keep that in mind.

Colour the chicken legs on both sides, then remove them from the skillet and set them aside on a large plate. Heat up the casserole and add in any grease leftover from cooking the chicken.  

Cook the diced bacon in this grease and add in the chicken legs when the bacon starts to get some colour. Sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of flour and bake for another minute or 3, depending on the size of the chicken legs.

A larger leg means more cooking time. Pour over the red wine and 150 ml chicken stock, add bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Season with more salt and pepper. Heat until the liquid is starting to bubble, then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 1. 5 hours, or until the chicken is very tender.

Turn the pieces halfway through cooking. Melt 15 grams of butter in a small frying pan over low heat, add in baby onions and cook for about 6 minutes. Add in mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes, or until lightly golden.

ADD them to the casserole and stir through. Serve with mashed potatoes and optionally chopped parsley. Enjoy!