This coq au vin will transport you to a cosy bistro in Paris
A rich and velvety French stew best served with buttery golden brioche.
There is something deeply evocative about July 14 in France – Bastille Day. There’s a palpable sense of history and communal joy as the streets of Paris burst with fanfare and fireworks, celebrating the enduring spirit of the French people. Food and wine are naturally central to the joie de vivre, seeing the many restaurants of the city abound with activity. While haute cuisine may be the choice for celebrations, it is the comforting Parisian bistros that epitomise French cuisine to me.
As you step into Au Biche Au Bois, just near the Bastille, the first thing you notice is its simple décor of white tablecloths and vintage posters. The ambience is cosy, reminiscent of a time when dining out was more about good food and company than fuss and pretension. The food is unapologetically French and they are well-known for their coq au vin. This classic dish, with its deep, rich flavours, is a celebration of rustic simplicity and culinary heritage.
A traditional coq au vin is made with an older bird or rooster, often considered past its prime for most culinary uses. The flavour of a well-lived bird, one that’s had the opportunity to strut around the farmyard, is far superior to the tender, younger supermarket chickens most of us are used to. This maturity brings magic to the dish; the older bird’s muscles, having worked hard over the years, provide a robust depth that younger, tender chickens simply cannot match.
Don’t worry if you can’t get one; regular good quality chicken will do, but I suggest using just legs – as I’m doing here – for a richer flavour. The process starts the night before, with the chicken taking a generous bath of reduced red wine which help to soften its fibres. Burgundy is traditional, but any good full-bodied red will do.
Nestled snugly with a few aromatic companions (thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns) the marinated chicken absorbs the rich notes of the wine, resulting in an intensely purple hue. It’s then caramelised in a heavy cast iron pan, creating flavour that sets the tone for the dish. The same pot is used to sauté a mix of lardons, onions and mushrooms before the chicken returns along with the marinade (can’t let all that good red wine go to waste) and some good chicken stock.
An hour on a gentle simmer allows the chicken to become tender whilst the flavours meld to create a rich, velvety sauce. A simple salad of green beans is all that’s needed with it. Tossed in a buttery almond mixture, the beans glisten in their verdant beauty. A squeeze of lemon is the final touch, a bright, acidic note that cuts through the richness, lifting the dish and balancing the flavours perfectly.
Pair this with a side of my delectable green beans amandine.
Coq au vin
Ingredients
- 8 chicken legs
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into about 1cm dice
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into about 1cm dice
- 1 celery stick, cut into about 1cm dice
- 400g bacon or pancetta, cut into thick lardons
- 500g pearl onions, peeled
- 500g button mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 100ml grapeseed oil
- 1200ml red wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 20g flour
- 30ml cognac
- 150ml port
- 1 litre gelatinous brown chicken stock
- 60g unsalted butter
- 2 slices brioche, toasted, cut into 8 heart shaped triangles
- Handful parsley, finely chopped
- Sea salt
Method
- Carefully cut the chicken legs at the joint, separating them into drumsticks and thighs. In a medium pan, reduce the red wine by half to 600ml and allow to cool. Combine the chicken, 500ml of the reduced wine, bay leaf, thyme and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Remove chicken from the wine bath, reserving the marinade. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towel.
- Heat 80ml of grapeseed oil over a high heat in a large heavy-based pan until it is just about to smoke. Add 20g of butter and when foaming, add the chicken thighs and drumsticks in a single layer. Cook over a high heat until well browned, 7 to 8 minutes per side.
- Carefully remove, seasoning the chicken, and reserve. Add the lardons to the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes until golden and crisp; drain and remove. Add the diced onion, carrot, half the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook for approximately 8 minutes until the vegetables are lightly browned, stirring up any brown bits from the pot, and adjusting heat if necessary to prevent burning.
- Add the garlic, celery and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the flour and cook for another minute. Remove from heat, push vegetables to one side of pot, pour cognac into the empty side, and carefully ignite with a match. Once the flame dies down, add the port, the remaining red wine marinade and the chicken stock, then bring up to the boil and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Skim off any scum that forms on the surface.
- Add the chicken, any accumulated juices and half the cooked lardons to the pot. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 60 to 70 minutes, turning halfway through. Uncover the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Season to taste.
- For the garnish, heat 20ml of grapeseed oil in a pan and when about to smoke, add 20g of butter; when foaming, add the brioche and fry on both sides for approximately 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove to drain on kitchen towel, sprinkling with salt. In the same pan add 20g of butter and the pearl onions. Add a pinch of salt, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, shaking the pan every couple of minutes to move the onions around so that they caramelise evenly.
- Uncover, and push onions to one side of the pan; add the remaining mushrooms and raise heat to medium-high. Continue to cook until browned, stirring mushrooms frequently, and gently tossing onions occasionally, for 6 to 7 minutes until tender.
- Add the pearl onions, mushrooms and remaining half of the cooked lardons to the pot with the chicken, together with the remaining 100ml of reduced red wine. Cook for a further 6 to 8 minutes until all the flavours meld together.
- To serve, dip croutons in wine sauce then coat in parsley. Baste the chicken with the red wine sauce, sprinkle with any remaining parsley and serve with croutons on top. Serves 6-8