Coq au Vin

Ingredients

• 1.4kg chicken, cut into 8 pieces (breasts halved, thighs and legs separated)
• 200g pearl onions, peeled
• 200g button mushrooms, halved
• 150g lardons, or thick-cut bacon, cubed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 30g unsalted butter
• 30ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 500ml red Burgundy wine, Pinot Noir
• 250ml chicken stock
• 2 carrots, cut into batons
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• Coarse sea salt
• Tellicherry black pepper
• Parsley, chopped, for garnish

Method

1. 1
   Render lardons in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until crisp, drain on paper towels, and set aside.
2. 2
   Pat chicken dry; brown skin-side down in rendered fat and oil over medium-high heat (3–4 minutes per side), then remove and set aside.
3. 3
   Soften pearl onions and mushrooms briefly in pot; remove and reserve, then stir in tomato paste and cook 2 minutes.
4. 4
   Add garlic and cook 1 minute; deglaze with wine, scraping browned bits, and reduce by one-third.
5. 5
   Return chicken and lardons to pot, add stock, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns; bring to simmer, cover, and braise 45 minutes.
6. 6
   Add carrots, pearl onions, and mushrooms; simmer uncovered 15 minutes until chicken is fully cooked through and vegetables are tender.
7. 7
   Discard bay leaves and thyme; season carefully with salt and Tellicherry pepper.
8. 8
   Serve from the pot or transfer to a shallow dish, garnished with chopped parsley.