Coq au vin (2 variations)

French chicken dish

Variation 1:
quick and easy to prepare

• Classic French recipe (e.g. from Burgundy)
• Characteristic: robust red wine, mushrooms, pearl onions
• Recipe for 4 people

Ingredients:
1 roasting chicken (approx. 1.6 kg)
or
2 small chickens (800 g each)
- oven-ready -

250 g pearl onions
100 g fresh button mushrooms, quartered
80 g lean bacon, cut into strips
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 sprig celeriac leaves
1 bunch parsley
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
450 ml red wine (Burgundy, or also Bordeaux or Barbera)
100 ml chicken stock
3 tablespoons cognac or brandy
Butter for frying
Chilled butter for the sauce
Salt
White pepper
Nutmeg, grated

Preparation:
Cut the chicken into portions (wings with some breast meat, legs, breasts – there should be 8 or 12 roughly equal-sized pieces for 4 people).
Season the chicken portions with salt and pepper and fry in the butter in a casserole until browned, then remove and set aside.
Add the bacon, onions and mushrooms to the casserole and brown lightly. Remove and set aside.
Return the chicken portions to the pan along with the sliced carrots, celeriac leaves, parsley, bay leaf, thyme and garlic and cook gently for a few minutes, then pour in half the wine, bring to the boil and simmer briefly.
Reduce the heat, add the stock, cover and simmer for 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the portions, or until tender.
Shortly before the end of cooking time, return the onions, mushrooms and bacon to the casserole.
Remove the meat and vegetables (carrots, onions, mushrooms; if preferred, also the bacon) and keep warm.
Add the rest of the wine to the casserole and boil until reduced by half, then pass through a sieve.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, cognac and nutmeg. Beat in the chilled butter in small pieces.

Accompaniments:
Potatoes or pasta

Drink:
Robust red wine (e.g. Burgundy, or possibly also a Bordeaux or Piedmont wine)

Coq au vin, Variation 2:
2 days' marinating, more complicated

• Classic French recipe
• Characteristic: 2 days' marinating in a robust red wine
• Recipe for 4 people

Ingredients:
1 oven-ready roasting chicken (approx. 1.8 kg)

For the marinade:
100 g onions, coarsely chopped
100 g celery stalks, sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary
10 peppercorns, crushed
0.7 l red wine

For the chicken:
Salt
White pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
50 g butter
2 teaspoons tomato purée
2 teaspoons flour
1 bouquet garni consisting of parsley stalks, thyme, bay leaf
approx. ¾ l water
150 g crème fraîche
Lemon juice

For the garnish:
100 g lean bacon, cut into strips
250 g spring onions
200 g button mushrooms
1-2 teaspoons chopped parsley

Preparation:
Wash the chicken and pat dry.

Cut off the legs at the joint and the breast meat.

Chop the rest of the chicken with the wings.

Place the legs and breasts with the marinade ingredients in a suitable dish.

Pour over the red wine until everything is covered.

Cover the dish with foil and leave to marinate in the fridge for 2 days.

Remove the legs and breasts from the marinade, drain, season with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Remove the vegetables from the marinade and drain. Heat the oil and butter in a casserole and fry the chicken portions together with the chopped bones until golden brown, then remove the chicken. In the meantime, bring the marinade to the boil, removing any scum. Add the vegetables and tomato purée to the casserole and cook gently for a few minutes. Then dust with flour and cook until the flour is pale brown. Stir in the marinade. Add the bouquet garni and pour in the water. Cook without lid for about ½ hour. Then add the chicken portions and continue simmering over a low heat for a further ½ hour. When the chicken is tender, remove from the casserole. Pass the sauce through a sieve, taking care to squeeze out all the liquid. Add the crème fraîche and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Fry the strips of bacon, add the onions and mushrooms and brown lightly. Heat the meat in the sauce, add the garnish, adjust the seasoning and finally add the parsley.

Accompaniments:
Potatoes or pasta

Drink:
Robust red wine (e.g. Burgundy, or possibly a Bordeaux or Piedmont wine)