Slow Cooked Coq au Vin

My mum makes the best coq au vin in the world, so last week, when I had guests over, I knew I had to try it out. I vaguely followed her recipe, but mostly made it up as I went along. It was one of the yummiest meals I’ve made in ages! Really rich and flavoursome (might be something to do with the quantity of wine involved…!) I made mine in a slow cooker but it can easily be made in a pan.

Serves four

You will need:

• 4 chicken breasts
• Glug of olive oil.
• 2 large onions
• 1 packet of smoked streaky bacon
• 4 large cloves of garlic
• A couple of tablespoons of flour
• A couple of tablespoons of butter
• 1 bottle of cheap red wine
• 500mls of chicken stock
• 8 shallots
• 1 packet of button mushrooms
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme (if you don’t have any, just used a tablespoon of the dried stuff)
• 8 black peppercorns

1. First of all, chop your chicken breasts into large pieces (I usually cut each breast up into three chunks). Pop them in a large frying pan with some olive oil on a low heat. Cook on low until sealed (usually about 5-10 mins). While the chicken is cooking, chop up your onions, garlic and bacon roughly.
2. When sealed, remove the chicken from the pan and stick in a bowl.
3. Next, fry the onions until softened. Chop up the garlic and throw it in to brown with the onions. Finally, add the bacon and cook together until the bacon is crispy and the onions are soft and browning.
4. Remove from the pan and put in a bowl.
5. Next, using the bacon-y pan, make a roux with your butter and flower. Cook the roux for 2-3 mins and then slowly pour in the bottle of red wine, a little at a time, mixing until you  have a smooth sauce. Cook for 5 mins until it bubbles, stirring constantly. When it’s bubbled, add the chickcn, onion, garlic, and bacon back to the pan and mix together. Turn the heat to low.
6. Peel the mushrooms and add them to the mix. Finally, add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme and as much chicken stock as you like. The consistency is up to you – some people like it runnier. If you’re slow cooking over a whole day, you will want to add the whole 500mls as the sauce WILL reduce. If you’re cooking on the hob you won’t have as much time, so maybe just pour in half.
7. Now, if you’re planning to cook on the hob, put a lid on the pan, turn it to low and cook for an two hours, stirring every 20 mins or so.  If you’re planning to use a slow cooker, pour the whole lot into the pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
8. After your allotted time is up, serve! I usually serve with mash or fondant potatoes, carrots and tender stem broccoli. Delish!