Coq au vin - a romantic dinner for two

Coq au vin (or chicken in red wine) is a classic French recipe. Before you panic, learning how to cook the classics can really help you to become more confident with food combinations, so don't be frightened of trying it.

There are two main aspects of this dish that make it successful. One is long, slow cooking and the other is browning the onion, bacon and chicken so that the sauce ends up rich and delicious.

Many recipes for coq au vin call for a whole chicken and serves 4, whereas my recipe caters for just two people. Of course you can always double up if you have guests to feed. Use chicken portions that are on the bone, such as thighs, rather than boneless breasts for this recipe.

This dish can be cooked either in a pan on the stove or in the oven. However, for the first time cook I would recommend using the oven, as it will require less attention. If you can, plan ahead and marinate the chicken in red wine for 24 hours before cooking, and then use the marinade in the recipe.

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 2 hours 30 min

Total time: 2 hour 45 min

Yield: 2 servings

Coq au Vin Ingredients

onion - 1 (or 6 baby onions)
carrots - 4 small
unsmoked bacon - 3 thick rashers
garlic - 2 cloves
butter - 1oz or 25g
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
flour - 1oz or 25g
chicken - 2 large quarters or four thighs (free range if possible)
red wine - (French to be authentic)8 fl oz or 250ml
chicken stock - 8 fl oz or 250ml
rosemary - 2 sprigs
bay leaves - 2
mushrooms - 6oz or 175g
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Equipment needed

A heavy based pan
A slotted spoon
A sharp knife and chopping board
A flame proof casserole dish - large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer

Method

Turn the oven on at 170^oC to preheat.
Peel and cut the large onion into chunks, or just peel the smaller ones. Peel the carrots and remove the stalk end. If the carrots are tiny leave them whole, otherwise cut into chunks. Peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves.
Cut the bacon into strips.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add the onions, bacon and garlic. Fry until they are golden brown. Remove and place in the casserole dish.
Put the flour onto a plate, season with salt and pepper and then turn the chicken pieces over in it, so they are coated.
Add to the pan, skin side down, and again fry, without moving them in the pan, until the skin is a nice brown colour. If you keep pushing the chicken around the pan it won't brown, and you need it to do so for an authentic coq au vin.
Turn the chicken and brown the other side. Then lift them out with the slotted spoon and also place in the casserole dish. Tuck the bay leaves and rosemary in between them.
Pour the red wine into the pan on the stove and heat gently, stirring to amalgamate all the juices and fat from the pan, and heat the wine. Then tip the contents of the pan onto the chicken in the casserole dish. Add the stock, carrots and chopped mushrooms, then cover the dish with a lid or aluminium foil.
Cook for 2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked.
Carefully lift the chicken, and vegetables out of the dish, once cooked and keep warm. Remove the herbs and discard them. Place the dish onto the stove top and turn the heat up to high. Boil vigorously until the juice reduces by around 2/3 to concentrate the flavours.