Coq au Vin Blanc

Method

1. Pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry with kitchen paper to ensure crispy skin. Generously season both sides of each thigh with salt and black pepper.

   2 mins

2. Heat a large cast-iron frying pan or flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.

   5 mins

3. Add 1 tbsp of the olive oil to the hot pan. Place the chicken thighs in skin-side down and sear for 4–5 minutes over a medium heat until golden brown and crisp. Turn and brown the other side for another 4–5 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.

   10 mins

4. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan along with the diced onion and quartered mushrooms. Sauté over a medium-low heat for 5–7 minutes until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have released their moisture and begun to brown. Add the sliced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.

   7 mins

5. Pour in a generous splash of white wine (about 1 heaped tbsp) and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bacon and chicken bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

   1 min

6. Nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan skin-side up along with the cooked bacon. Pour in the rest of the white wine. The liquid should come right up to the tops of the thighs without submerging the crispy skin. Cover with a lid and simmer gently over a medium-low heat for 35 minutes.

   35 mins

7. Remove the lid and stir in the double cream, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and let the sauce bubble and reduce for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Spoon the simmering sauce over the chicken a few times as it cooks. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.

   10 mins

8. Scatter freshly chopped parsley over the top and serve directly from the pan with plenty of crusty French bread to soak up the wine and mushroom cream sauce.