Sunday meals: Coq au Vin Blanc

Another weekend, another Sunday and a perfect excuse to cook up some comfort food. Coq au Vin is quintessentially French and although it sounds extremely fancy, it’s not as complicated as you think, making it perfect for a lovely weekend meal. Traditionally made with red wine, this version uses a white wine which results in a brighter sweeter flavour. Tender chicken simply falling of the bone, braised in wine and drenched in an earthy creamy sauce flavoured with mushrooms and pancetta, it definitely makes the most of every ingredient in this one-pot meal!

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

2 chicken thighs
A knob of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
75 g pancetta, chopped into cubes
1 large red onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely diced
10-15 white button or crimini mushrooms, halved
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
150 ml of white wine (approx. 1 glass)
125 ml cream
Sea salt & black pepper, to taste

You will also need: A large pot or pan with a lid

METHOD

Place the pan over a medium heat and add in a knob of butter. Pour in a splash of olive oil to keep the butter from burning. Season the chicken thighs and place them into the pan for a few minutes until they turn a lovely golden brown on either side.

Remove the chicken and set aside to rest on a plate.

Using the same pan, fry the pancetta on a low heat until slightly crispy. Next, add in the finely diced onion and garlic. As it starts to soften, toss in the mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes.

Give the ingredients a quick stir, return the chicken to the pan and sprinkle in fresh thyme leaves off a few sprigs.

Here’s the best part – the wine! The rule when cooking with wine : if you can’t drink it, you can’t cook with it. If you’re going all out making a Coq au Vin, using the best wine you can get your hands on will enhance the flavour and definitely be worth the wait!

Next, pour in the white wine and bring to a boil, place a lid on the pan and simmer on a low heat for around 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Once cooked through, place the chicken onto a plate and move on to deglaze the pan and make the creamy sauce.

Using a spoon discard any excess fat floating in atop the braising liquid. Stir in the fresh cream and adjust the seasoning in the sauce if necessary. Simmer over a low heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken in consistency.

Place the chicken back into the sauce, toss in a bunch of fresh thyme and serve straight out the pan with baguettes and a glass of wine…or a few glasses!

PRESSURE POINTS

Be sure to keep a check over the 30 minute mark to avoid burning the bottom of the pan incase all the braising liquid has dried up. This could vary depending on the heat.

If you give this recipe a go, I’d love to see how it turned out. Leave a comment below and share your pictures on Instagram using the tag #thecookbooklife!

Bon appétit!

Nikita xx