Rooster in Wine (Coq au Vin)

With Bastille Day fast approaching why not celebrate with this French classic. The flavours of this slow-cooked chicken in red wine with bacon and mushrooms make for a perfect winter feast.
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1.6 kg chicken, jointed
• 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 1 onion sliced
• 750 ml red wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 parsley stalks
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 2 tsp garlic finely grated
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp soft butter
• 200 gm white button mushrooms, quartered
• ¼ cup chopped parsley 

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C. In a large fry pan heat the oil, season the chicken with salt and cook until golden, transfer to a plate and keep warm. Fry the bacon and onions for 5 minutes until golden.

Add the red wine, chicken  stock, herbs and garlic, then season to taste with a little more salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, cover with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove the chicken, onions and bacon, cover with foil and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and throw away the herbs. Boil the sauce until it reduces by half, then mix the 1 tbsp of soft butter with the 1 tbsp flour to form a paste. Whisk small pieces of the paste into the sauce to thicken it.

Heat an additional 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat, add the mushrooms and fry for 3 minutes until golden and caramelised, season  with salt.

To serve, heat the chicken, bacon, onions and mushrooms in the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes, turning to coat and thoroughly heat through. Sprinkle over chopped fresh parsley and serve with a bowl of rich creamy mashed potatoes on the side.