Coq au vin

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 chicken (approx. 1200g)
• 1 bag of shallots
• 250 g mushrooms
• 200 g bacon (belly), streaky, smoked
• ¼ liter white wine
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables
• 2 tbsp flour for dusting
• 2 tbsp clarified butter or olive oil (depending on taste)
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp French herbs (only if no fresh rosemary is available)
• 2 garlic cloves

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Chicken in white wine sauce

Cut the belly into strips and sear in a roasting pan, adding the fat. Remove the belly strips and let them drain on a kitchen towel. Divide the chicken, season the legs, breasts, and wings with salt and pepper, and flour them. Turn them in the belly fat in the roasting pan and sear at 200°C in a convection oven, basting occasionally with the fat from the roasting pan. Meanwhile, make a little chicken broth from the leftover chicken and the bunch of soup vegetables. In a separate pan, sauté the shallots and mushrooms (cleaned and whole). When the chicken pieces, shallots, mushrooms, and belly are the desired color, add everything to the roasting pan, bring to heat, and deglaze with white wine. Reduce slightly, add the spices and garlic, and braise uncovered in the oven at 160°C for about 1.5 hours. Keep adding the homemade chicken broth to maintain the desired sauce consistency. Tips: It’s usually made with red wine, but I prefer white wine. Blanch the belly before roasting; this gives it a milder flavor and helps render the fat. You can add spices as desired; sometimes less is more. Serve with baguette.