Quick and easy

“A French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic. While the wine used is typically from Burgundy, though many regions of France have variants of coq au vin using the local wine.”

Back in my uni days, one evening I invited a couple of friends to eat something french for a change. I had no idea what to cook or how to make french food but I was keen to learn, observe and assist my friend, since then i’ve made it a few times. I do not use a rooster for the stew, i’m going to have to call it poulet au vin which directly translates to chicken in wine.

You will need:

1 packet of lardon/bacon
1 onion
2 garlic
Chicken thighs
375 ml dry red wine – Pinot noir or Cotes Du Rhone
60ml cognac
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
Bunch of parlsey
1 chicken stock cube
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
Handful of baby potatoes (optional)
2 carrots
1 packet of mushroom
Handful of cipollini or pearl onions
1-2 tablespoon of flour

With a frying pan, add a drizzle of oil and fry the lardon till lightly brown and leave it aside. With another pan add oil, sweat chopped onions before cooking the chicken by frequently turning the skin till it’s brown in colour on all sides. Pour the cognac into the pan till it’s hot and bubbling, with a match stick and flamber for a minute and cover with a lid. Season the chicken with a bay leaf, chicken stock cube, thyme and red wine. Cover the pan and leave to simmer on medium to low heat.  Keep turning the chicken and swirling the sauce. Add the flour, lardon, finely chopped garlic, tomato paste, baby potatoes, carrots then cipollini or pearl onions. Low the heat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Lastly add the mushrooms and keep simmering till the chicken till thoroughly cooked.  In a bowl, separate in chicken and keep cooking the sauce with the vegetables. Lastly, finely chop parsley and garnish over the poulet au vin. The sauce should be just thick enough to lightly coat the chicken and vegetables. If it is too thin, boil it down rapidly to concentrate; if it is too thick, thin it with spoonfuls of stock before checking it’s seasoning. Re-add the chicken into the sauce and serve immediately. It can be eaten with a baquette or like me – with some rice.