Our Chef's Recipes

Coquelet Au Vin rouge
Serves 6

This adaptation of the famous Coq au Vin is best made a day ahead to allow the flavours to fuse. It is a perfect dish for entertaining with all the hard work done ahead of time.

• 3 coquelets of 500 gms each (alternatively you could use poussins or chicken pieces)
• 3 onions, peeled and cut into eight
• 3 carrots, scraped, cut lengthways into quarters and cubed
• 2 sticks of celery, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• 2 tsp herbs from Provence
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsps salt
• 1 bottle red Burgundy wine
• 60 gms (2 oz) butter
• 20 ml olive oil
• 200 gms ( 6½ oz) diced smoked bacon
• 125 gms (4oz) white mushrooms, rinsed and diced
• 3 tabs flour
• 2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock (this can be made from the backs of the coquelets, 1¼ litres of water and three chicken stock cubes)

In a large bowl, combine chicken, onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Add pepper and salt and red wine. Cover with cling film and marinate overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 250º C.
Drain the chicken mixture, reserving the marinade. Pat the chicken pieces dry.
In a large heavy-bottomed pan melt the butter and oil over a high heat and thoroughly brown the chicken pieces. Remove chicken onto a plate and add the marinated vegetables to the pan with the mushrooms and cook until the onions begin to brown. Add the bacon and continue cooking until bacon has browned. Stir in the flour, cook for 1 minute, add reserved marinade and when it begins to thicken, add about 2 cups of chicken stock. Cover and bring to the boil.
Reduce the oven to 150º C and place pan in oven for an hour.

Serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetables in season.