Coq Au Vin by Raymond Blanc

Serves

4

Prep Time

60 mins

Cooking Time

60 mins

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 15kg organic or free range chicken, cut into 10 pieces (you could ask your butcher to do this)
• 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
• 2tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the marinade

• 1 litre of full-bodied red wine, such as Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon
• 3 medium carrots, cut into slanted slices 1cm (1/2 inch) thick
• 2 celery sticks, cut into slices 1cm (1/2 inch) thick
• 20 baby onions, peeled but left whole
• 1tsp of black ppercorns, crushed
• 1 bouquet garni (parsley stalks, 2 bay leaves and 6 sprigs of thyme, tied together)

For the garnish

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 200g of smoked streaky bacon, rind removed, diced
• 400g of small button mushrooms, trimmed
• 1tbsp of chopped, fresh, flat-leaf parsley

Method

• Bring the red wine to the boil and reduce it by a third, to remove the alcohol and concentrate the colour and flavour.
• Leave it to cool.
• In a bowl, mix the chicken pieces, carrots, celery, baby onions, peppercorns and bouquet garni together and pour the cooled red wine over them.
• Cover with cling film, refrigerate and leave to marinate for 24 hours.
• Place a colander over a large bowl and put the chicken mixture in it to drain off the marinade.
• Leave for a minimum of 1 hour to remove excess liquid.
• Separate the chicken, vegetables and herbs, and pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Season the chicken with 4 pinches of salt and 4 pinches of freshly ground black pepper. Reserve the liquid.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/ 400°C/ Gas Mark 6.
• Sprinkle the flour on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until it is very lightly coloured. Set aside.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/ 300°F / Gas Mark 2.
• On a high heat, in a large, heavy-based casserole dish, heat the olive oil and colour the chicken pieces in it for 5-7 minutes on each side. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
• Add the drained vegetables and herbs to the casserole.
• Lower the heat to a medium high and cook for 5 minutes, until lightly coloured.
• Spoon out most of the fat from the casserole, add the toasted flour and stir into the vegetables for a few seconds.
• On a medium heat, whisk in the wine marinade little by little: this will create a sauce and prevent any lumps from forming.
• Bring to the boil and skim and impurities from the surface. The wine marinade will be slightly thickened and have the consistency of a light sauce.
• Add the chicken pieces and return to the boil. Cover with a lid and cook in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.
• Over a medium heat, in a medium non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil and cook the diced bacon in it for 30 seconds.
• Add the button mushrooms and cook for a further 4 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
• Mix the diced bacon and button mushrooms into the coq au vin.
• Sprinkle the parsley and serve piping hot, straight from the casserole.

Extract from www.raymondblanc.com