Stage 1. The chicken marinated in red wine reduction - not the prettiest of things:
New feature! The CookingBites Cookalong: Coq au Vin
- Thread starter Morning Glory
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LadyBelle
Veteran
Well, not the best food photography but here's the finished thing from me!
I used a recipe from Delicious magazine.
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Well done! How did it taste? Do you have a link to the recipe? If not - a quick synopsis would be interesting (there are so many variations on how to cook this).
I added brandy to mine - flamed. I think its well worth it as the aroma was amazing. I just used the cheapest brandy that I reserve for cooking. I'm not a spirits drinker so a bottle will last quite a while.
LadyBelle
Veteran
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/simple-coq-au-vin/
A super easy version but it was tasty! As I'm home alone most of this month the appeal of making anything fancy is minimal. I'll portion up an freeze for future suppers.
The recipe I used was a mix-up of different methods.
- Reduce bottle of red wine to half by simmering and allow to cool
- Marinate the chicken thighs overnight in the reduced wine, pink peppercorns and thyme.
- Brown the shallots in olive oil. Remove and set aside. fry bacon lardons in the same pan. Set aside.
- Brown 2 Tbsp flour in the oven.
- Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry. Fry in the same pan until browned.
- Add a generous amount of brandy and flame! (my son made the animation on his mobile phone). It smells amazing!
- Remove the chicken. Whisk in the browned flour and cook to thicken. Add the wine marinade.
- Add the shallots, lardons, a bunch of herbs and some pink peppercorns
- Cook gently for 3 hour (in oven or on hob). Add mushrooms 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. I removed the lid when I added the mushrooms to reduce the sauce.
- Scatter some parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.
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Ken Natton
Über Member
Psssst! [Loud, excited whisper] C’m here. [Looks left, looks right to check no-one’s listening]. I bought the ingredients for Coq-au-Vin today. I’m thinking Sunday could be the day! [Slinks back into the shadow].
I'm now thinking my photos show a bit lacking in sauce. I actual fact there was quite a lot of sauce.
Ken Natton
Über Member
That's not what I get from that picture. What I get from that picture is how unlikely it is that mine will look as good.
You will be be fine. I know you will.
Ken Natton
Über Member
Well, there you go, that's what mine looked like when it was cooked.
I have to say, actually, it was very nice. The chicken was beautifully moist and the sauce was gorgeous. It was cooked in a French red wine (Cotes de Rhone) but was accompanied with a rather nice white - Cotes de Gascogne.
Some notes, I used a whole chicken, high quality, corn fed from Tescos, portioned by my wife, and I used the James Martin recipe given by @morning glory in the OP. I made it fairly faithfully to the recipe, the key thing I did slightly differently is, having brought it to the boil on the hob, I did then put the casserole dish in the oven, lid on, for about 45 minutes. When it came out, I did what the recipe suggested, removing the chicken from the sauce and putting it back n the oven at much reduced heat while I put the casserole dish back on the hob and boiled the sauce on a high heat for some minutes to try to reduce the sauce. Then I added the parsley and put the chicken back. Oh the other thing I did differently - probably of no great consequence, but the recipe says to season it at the end. All my instincts tell me to season it before the time in the oven, so that is what I did. Oh, and I served it with Jersey Royals. Well, it is the season.
Broader reactions - my wife and the older teenager said they liked it but in a rather off hand, less than entirely enthusiastic way. The younger teenager went and got himself a piece of bread to sup up the excess sauce, which does suggest that he liked the sauce at least. That's about as good as it gets for me.
I have to say, actually, it was very nice. The chicken was beautifully moist and the sauce was gorgeous. It was cooked in a French red wine (Cotes de Rhone) but was accompanied with a rather nice white - Cotes de Gascogne.
Some notes, I used a whole chicken, high quality, corn fed from Tescos, portioned by my wife, and I used the James Martin recipe given by @morning glory in the OP. I made it fairly faithfully to the recipe, the key thing I did slightly differently is, having brought it to the boil on the hob, I did then put the casserole dish in the oven, lid on, for about 45 minutes. When it came out, I did what the recipe suggested, removing the chicken from the sauce and putting it back n the oven at much reduced heat while I put the casserole dish back on the hob and boiled the sauce on a high heat for some minutes to try to reduce the sauce. Then I added the parsley and put the chicken back. Oh the other thing I did differently - probably of no great consequence, but the recipe says to season it at the end. All my instincts tell me to season it before the time in the oven, so that is what I did. Oh, and I served it with Jersey Royals. Well, it is the season.
Broader reactions - my wife and the older teenager said they liked it but in a rather off hand, less than entirely enthusiastic way. The younger teenager went and got himself a piece of bread to sup up the excess sauce, which does suggest that he liked the sauce at least. That's about as good as it gets for me.
Looks great! Maybe your younger teenager is a budding gourmet. Cooking in the oven or on the hob doesn't really matter - it will achieve the same result, I think. Did you use the shallots and bacon? I'm only asking because I can't see them (although some of the things I think are mushrooms might be shallots!).
Ken Natton
Über Member
I did use shallots but I chopped them quite finely, so whatever you see that you are thinking are mushrooms, are mushrooms. And yes I did use streaky bacon. Minor variation from the recipe there, the recipe says 150g, the packet of streaky bacon was 250g and I used the lot. Oh and the red wine, the recipe says 500ml but I put nearly the whole 750ml bottle in. All but the Keith Floyd style glass I took out of it and drank while I was cooking. Well, it would have been rude not to.