⁣Marinating the chicken:
1. Bring the red wine to the boil.
2. Boil until reduced by a third, to remove the
alcohol and concentrate the colour and flavour. Then Leave to cool.
3. In a bowl, mix the 2 chicken thighs, 2 breasts
and 2 legs with the carrots, celery, baby onions, peppercorns and bouquet garni. Pour the cooled red wine over them. Cover with cling film, refrigerate
and leave to marinate for 24 hours.
4. Place a colander over a large bowl and put the
chicken mixture in it to drain off the marinade. Leave for a minimum of 1 hour to remove excess liquid.
5. Separate the chicken, vegetables and herbs, and
pat dry with kitchen paper.
6. Season the chicken with 1 pinch of salt and 1
pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Ensure the liquid is reserved.
⁣Toasting the flour:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
2. Sprinkle the flour on a baking tray and cook in
the oven for 8–10 minutes, until it is very lightly coloured and set aside.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2.
Frying the chicken:
1. On a high heat, in a large, heavy-based
casserole dish, heat the olive oil to colour the chicken legs and thighs for 5–7 minutes on each side.
2. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a
plate and set aside.
3. Add the drained vegetables and herbs to the
casserole.
4. Lower the heat to medium high and cook for 5
minutes, until lightly coloured.
The Chicken Ballontine:
1. Blend the double cream and chicken thigh in a
blender until smooth, add reduced CHEF :registered: All Natural Chicken Stock and CHEF:registered: All Natural Veal Stock.
2. Fold in the bacon and parsley.
3. Make an incision into the thickest end of the
chicken supreme and open out a cavity all the way down to the other end of the breast, cutting outwards but not tearing through the flesh.
4. Pipe chicken and cream mixture inside, season
and roll into a ballontine with cling film, place in a vacuum bag and seal to 75%.
5. Cook in a water bath at 67°C for 1 hour.
6. Finish in a pan with butter until golden.
Making the sauce:
1. Spoon out most of the fat from the casserole,
add the toasted flour and stir into the vegetables for a few seconds.
2. On a medium heat, whisk in the wine marinade
little by little; this will create a sauce and prevent lumps forming.
3. Bring the wine marinade to the boil and skim any impurities from the surface. The wine marinade will be slightly thickened and have the consistency of a light sauce.
4. Add the chicken pieces and return to the boil.
Cover with a lid and cook in the pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes at 180*.
Finishing the sauce:
1. If you wish you can serve the coq au vin as it
is. But should you prefer a richer, more powerful sauce, drain it through a colander and on a high heat, boil the sauce until it has reduced by one third
and add the reduced CHEF :registered: All Natural Chicken Stock and CHEF:registered: All Natural Veal Stock.
2. It should have acquired more body and become a rich, vinous colour.
3. Pour the sauce back over the chicken and
vegetables.
Cooking the garnish:
1. Over a medium heat, in a medium non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the diced bacon for only 30 seconds to cook.
2. Add the button mushrooms and cook for a further 4 minutes.
3. Mix the diced bacon and button mushrooms into the coq au vin.
4. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve piping hot,
straight from the casserole.