Matty's Coq au Vin

This one’s a banger! We’re makin’ a deep, rich, comforting pot of chicken cooked in red wine. It’s French, it’s old school, and it’s packed with flavour. We’re talkin’ crispy bacon, tender chicken thighs soaked in wine and herbs, all stewed down with mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, and those beautiful little cipollini onions that just melt in your mouth. It’s the kind of dish you make when you wanna slow it down, fill your kitchen with the smell of something special, and feed the people you love. 

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp freshly cracked pepper
• 3 cups red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 oz bacon lardons, diced ¼-inch
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, medium diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 8 oz button mushrooms
• 2 ribs celery, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 2 oz brandy
• 12 peeled cipollini onions
• 12 baby new potatoes
• 3 cups chicken stock
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Ensure chicken is fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 3 hours.
2. Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Add lardons and cook until golden and crisp, about 10–15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat in the pan.
3. Remove chicken from the marinade (reserve the marinade). Pat thighs completely dry with paper towels. Heat the bacon fat over medium-high heat and sear the chicken in batches until browned. Set aside with the lardons.
4. In the same pan over medium heat, add cipollini onions, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, celery, and garlic. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with brandy and allow the alcohol to ignite and burn off. Once the flame subsides, add reserved marinade and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 10–12 minutes, skimming any foam from the surface.
5. Return chicken and lardons to the pan with any juices. Cover with a lid and simmer for 35 minutes, turning chicken halfway. Uncover during the last 15 minutes to allow sauce to thicken. Finish with chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.