When made properly, this is a wonderful dish. I usually marinate on a Saturday and cook on Sunday when I have more time and then leave it in the fridge for a couple of days for us to have during the week with lots of buttered new potatoes. Don’t miss out the fried bread, it’s the perfect accompaniment. I had a loaf of brioche in the freezer and that worked particularly well.
I have two rules which MUST be followed:
- Allow two days to prepare/cook/rest this dish
- Find someone to peel the baby onions, failing that, soak them in boiled water for 5 minutes and then peel.
4 chicken quarters (drumstick and thigh), bone in skin removed
1 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
200g smoked pancetta, cubed
3 tbsp flour
20 baby onions – kept whole and peeled
20 button mushrooms
50ml brandy
Fried bread
2 slices thick cut white bread, crusts removed
3 tbsp very finely chopped parsley
oil for frying
Marinade ingredients
750ml red wine, Pinot Noir or Merlot are good choices
4 shallots, roughly chopped
1 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stick celery, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled and bruised
2 bay leaves
6 whole peppercorns
2 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp tomato purée
Put all the marinade ingredients in a large pan. Bring to the boil then simmer until reduced by a third. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding the veg and aromats. Add the chicken making, cover with a piece of baking paper ensuring the chicken is completely submerged and marinate in the fridge overnight.
Preheat the oven to 170c fan. Remove the chicken from the marinade, season with salt and pepper. Put the flour on a plate.
In a heat proof casserole pan with a lid, gently melt the butter and olive oil, add the pancetta and cook until crispy, remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
Coat the chicken pieces with flour, over a medium heat brown the pieces in the same pan in which you cooked the pancetta for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot to the pancetta bowl.
Next add the onions and mushrooms for 10 minutes, shaking the pan every so often to colour the onions on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon. If there is any excess fat left in the pan, tip it out. Turn the heat to high, pour in the brandy, stand well back and set it on fire, leave until the flames stop then add the wine marinade, use a wooden spatula to release all the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken, pancetta and veg to the casserole, cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
After an hour remove from the oven and check that the chicken is cooked. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken, pancetta and veg from the casserole to a bowl, turn the heat to high and bubble the wine sauce for about 10 minutes until reduced by a little. Return chicken pancetta and veg to the pan and either serve or leave to cool completely, replace the lid and store in the fridge for 24 hours.
Fried bread
Cut each slice into triangles. Heat about 2 cm of oil in a pan to 160C or until a piece of bread fizzes and brown quickly when dropped in. Fry the triangles in batches until golden brown and remove to kitchen paper. Dip one edge of the triangle in the chopped parsley and serve on the side with the coq au vin.
Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 4 chicken quarters (drumstick and thigh) bone in, skin removed
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 25 g butter
- 200 g pancetta diced
- 20 baby onions skin removed and kept whole
- 20 button mushrooms
- 50 ml brandy
Marinade
- 750 ml red wine, Merlot or Pinot Noir are good choices
- 2 star anise
- 4 shallots roughly chopped
- 1 carrot roughly chopped
- 2 sticks celery roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic unpeeled and bruised
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 6 whole peppercorns
Fried bread
- 2 slices white bread or brioche crusts removed
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Put all the marinade ingredients in a large pan. Bring to the boil then simmer until reduced by a third. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding the veg and aromats. Add the chicken making, cover with a piece of baking paper ensuring the chicken is completely submerged and marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 170c fan. Remove the chicken from the marinade, season with salt and pepper. Put the flour on a plate.
- In a heat proof casserole pan with a lid, gently melt the butter and olive oil, add the pancetta and cook until crispy, remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
- Coat the chicken pieces with flour, over a medium heat brown the pieces in the same pan in which you cooked the pancetta for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot to the pancetta bowl.
- Next add the onions and mushrooms for 10 minutes, shaking the pan every so often to colour the onions on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon. If there is any excess fat left in the pan, tip it out. Turn the heat to high, pour in the brandy, stand well back and set it on fire and leave until the flames stop then add the wine marinade, use a wooden spatula to release all the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken, pancetta and veg to the casserole, cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
- After an hour remove from the oven and check that the chicken is cooked. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken, pancetta and veg from the casserole to a bowl, turn the heat to high and bubble the wine sauce for about 10 minutes until reduced by a little. Return chicken pancetta and veg to the pan and either serve or leave to cool completely, replace the lid and store in the fridge for 24 hours.
Fried bread
- Cut each slice into triangles. Heat about 2 cm of oil in a pan to 160C or until a piece of bread fizzes and brown quickly when dropped in. Fry the triangles in batches until golden brown and remove to kitchen paper. Dip one edge of the triangle in the chopped parsley and serve on the side with the coq au vin.
Video
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