Coq au Vin

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

- 4 Chicken Legs

- 1 small bunch of Thyme

- 6-8 Shallots

- 8 Chestnut Mushrooms

- 1 bottle Red Wine

- 500g Chicken Stock

- 40g Butter

- 40g Plain Flour

- 3 cloves of Garlic

- 100g Pancetta (cut into lardons)

- Salt & Pepper to taste

- A few sprigs of Parsley

Method

- Place your chicken, shallots, thyme and red wine into a large bowl. Cover with a cloth or clingfilm and leave to marinate overnight (or at least a few hours).

- Drain your chicken thighs (Keep the wine!) before placing in a frying pan on a medium heat to caramelise. Place into a casserole dish then repeat the caramelisation process with the shallots, garlic and mushrooms until everything is deep brown, packed with flavour and placed in the casserole dish.

- Bring the drained wine to a boil and skim for a few minutes before setting aside.

- Using the same frying pan as the chicken and vegetables, add you butter and heat until foaming. Stir in the plain flour and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes before slowly adding the wine a little at a time, stirring constantly. Once fully combined, pour in the stock, season with salt & pepper, bring to the boil, then reduce until slightly thickened. You're looking for a "saucy" consistency.

- Pour the sauce over into the casserole dish, ensuring the chicken and vegetables are covered. Then place in a pre-heated oven at 160ºc for 45mins.

- Once cooked, bubbling, and glossy.. Serve with some freshly picked parsley and enjoy!