Hairy Bikers Coq au Vin Recipe

This Hairy Bikers coq au vin is the one they call love in a transit, and it braises a whole jointed chicken in red wine. And bacon, shallots and a tin of tomatoes go in with it, so it serves 4 at 910 calories. Since it comes from their Chicken & Egg series rather than a book, it needs 130 minutes.

Si and Dave say “coq au vin doesn’t usually include tomatoes, but they are the key here”. So a tin of chopped tomatoes goes in with the wine, which no classic French version would allow.

The chicken comes out before the sauce reduces, which is the step that separates this from a watery casserole. And boiling it for 4 to 5 minutes is what makes it coat the back of a spoon.

Hairy Bikers Coq au Vin Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Braising Cuisine:British French Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 25 minutesCook time:1 hour 45 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:2 hours 10 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:910 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Bacon, brandy and a full bottle of red go into the pot with a jointed bird, then shallots and mushrooms join halfway. Lift everything out at the end and boil the liquid down until it clings. Serve with creamy mash.

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
• 1 x 1.8kg chicken, jointed into 8 portions
• 125g unsmoked rindless streaky bacon, cut into 2cm slices
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 50ml brandy
• 1 x 75cl bottle red wine
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 16 small shallots
• 200g baby button mushrooms
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Brown the chicken: heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and season the jointed chicken all over. Cook in two or three batches until deep golden brown, turning once, then move each batch to a large flameproof casserole. Buy 8 bone-in thighs and drumsticks if you would rather not joint a 1.8kg bird yourself, since the skin and bone are what matter here.
2. Crisp the bacon: fry the 125g of streaky bacon in the same pan for 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to crisp. Then scatter it over the chicken in the casserole.
3. Soften the onion: cook the chopped onion over a low heat for 4 to 5 minutes until golden-brown, adding the garlic for the last minute. Then tip both into the casserole.
4. Deglaze and pour: add the 50ml of brandy to the hot pan and scrape up every bit of sediment. Then add half the wine and let it bubble for a few seconds. Pour that over the chicken with the rest of the bottle, the tin of tomatoes, the bay and the thyme. Leave the brandy out if you have none, though you lose the caramel note it pulls off the pan.
5. First simmer: bring it to a gentle simmer, cover loosely and cook on a low heat for 30 minutes. Meanwhile cover the 16 shallots with just-boiled water for 5 minutes, then drain and peel them, leaving a little root on so they hold together.
6. Fry the shallots: brown the peeled shallots in the remaining oil, then add the 200g of button mushrooms for a couple of minutes. Stir both into the casserole, cover loosely again and simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes until the chicken is tender.
7. Reduce the sauce: lift the chicken, bacon, shallots and mushrooms out with a slotted spoon into a large bowl. Then boil the sauce hard for 4 to 5 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon, and return everything to warm through.
8. Serve it: spoon it out with creamy mashed potatoes and green beans, which is what the recipe suggests. Then scatter chopped parsley over the top.

FAQs

Why are there tomatoes in this coq au vin?

Because Si and Dave chose to break the rule, and they say so in the recipe itself. So the tin arrives with the wine at the start, adding body and a little sweetness against all that reduced red. And if you want a chicken braise where tomatoes belong by tradition, their chicken cacciatore is built on them.

What other coq au vin versions did they make?

Two others exist, and both are proper recipes rather than swaps. And Coq au Pouilly-Fumé is in Chicken & Egg, where it marinates overnight in Sauvignon Blanc, then finishes with egg yolk and cream. So white wine allows the cream where red turns the sauce a strange colour, and One Pot Wonders makes it a cobbler.

Can I make it in a slow cooker?

You can, but do not put the raw chicken straight in, because the browning is doing half the work. Brown the chicken and bacon, soften the onion, then deglaze with the brandy and reduce the wine on the hob first. And tip it into the slow cooker for 4 hours on low, though you still boil the sauce down at the end.

How does it differ from Mary Berry, James Martin or BBC Good Food?

Mary Berry, James Martin and BBC Good Food all leave the tomatoes out, so that is the clearest difference. And BBC Good Food thickens with a flour and butter paste while this one reduces instead, which keeps the sauce cleaner. So James Martin leans on pearl onions and pancetta, much like their easy chicken chasseur does with mushrooms.

Can I make it the day before?

Yes, and it is better for it, since a night in the fridge lets the wine and bacon settle into the chicken. Cool it quickly, keep it covered, then reheat gently on the hob rather than in a microwave so the meat does not toughen. And it keeps three days, though it does not freeze well because the shallots go soft and the sauce splits.