COQ AU VIN - CHICKEN WITH RED WINE

This traditional French recipe is just delightfully good. It takes a bit of time to prepare the ingredients, but afterwards you cook it in the oven or slow cooker and you can go and relax with a glass of wine. Excellent if you have guests for dinner because it can be prepared beforehand. This is a recipe from Manu Feildel and he recommends to marinated the chicken overnight. However, if you don't have the time, 2 hours will do the trick.

INGREDIENTS

For the marinade
1.5l red wine
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
12 black peppercorns
3 sprigs thyme
1 fresh bay leaf
12 chicken drumsticks or 6 chicken marylands
For the sauce
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
1/2 cup (125ml) brandy
60g butter
200g piece of speck or bacon cut into 3x1 cm strips
12 pearl onions or spring onions, peeled
3 eschalots, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g button mushrooms, wiped clean and trimmed
75g plain flour
1 bouquet garni (2 thyme sprigs & 1 bay leaf)
chopped parsley to serve (optional)
Potato puree
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut in half
table salt
1 cup (250ml) pouring cream
50g butter, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:
Place the carrot, onion, crushed garlic, peppercorns, thyme sprigs, bay leaf and chicken in a large non-metallic container. Mix well.

Add the wine, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight if time permits.

Drain the chicken, reserving the wine and discarding the vegetables, peppercorns and herbs. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat half of the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat, then, working in batches, cook the chicken, turning once, for 6-7 minutes or until golden. (Make sure you cover the pan, otherwise it will spit oil all over your kitchen!!)

Return all the chicken to the pan, add the brandy and carefully light it with a long match, then, when the flames die down, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. 
Heat the butter and the remaining oil in an enamelled cast-iron casserole over medium heat. Add the speck and the onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the onions are light golden.
Add the eschalot, finely chopped garlic and mushrooms, stirring over medium heat for 6-7 minutes or until light golden.

Add the flour and stir to combine well, then cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Gradually add the reserved wine, stirring continuously to prevent lumps forming. 

Bring the mixture to a simmer, then add the bouquet garni and the browned chicken pieces and any pan juices. Cover the chicken and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 1 1/4 hours approximately.

Half an hour before the end of cooking time, prepare the potato puree. 
Place the potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted water and bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until tender.

Drain well, then return to to the pan and shake over low heat to allow any excess moisture to evaporate.

Mash the potatoes together with the cream and butter over very low heat.

(If you have the time, push the potato through a ricer or fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Bring the cream just to the boil in a small saucepan, then add to the potato along with the butter and season.)

Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine well. Set aside and keep warm.

Get the chicken from the oven and serve.



Serve in a large bowl with the potato mash. Sprinkle with parsley if using.

Serves 6

It was incredibly yummy! 😋💛💖