Coq au Vin with Polenta
By M&S Food
Published on 04 November 2022
Coq au Vin with polenta is a succulent way to cook chicken, which gets its complex flavours from a riot of ingredients that includes pancetta, shallots, herbs, chicken stock, mushrooms, carrots and, of course, wine. This version was created by Francesco Mazzei for the French-themed episode of the cooking competition brought to you by M&S Food, Cooking With The Stars. Calabria-born Francesco has added a neat Italian twist to this French classic by serving it with polenta. Not only is this delicious – it should take an hour or less to cook. Magnifique! Or should that be magnifico?! Time and servings
1 hrTotal time
4Servings
1 hrCooking time
Ingredients
- 50 g of plain flour
- 1 small handful of sage
- 1 small handful of rosemary
- 100 ml of white wine
- 65 g of ground polenta
- 100 g of pancetta
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 400 ml of red wine
- 1 small handful of thyme
- 1 tbsp of tomato paste
- 200 g of button mushrooms, halved
- 2 medium carrots, diced into 1cm pieces
- 12 small onions, diced
- 1 tbsp of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped to serve
- 200 ml of whole milk
- 30 g of grana padano cheese
- 50 g of butter
- 1 fresh nutmeg, grated to serve
- 450 ml of chicken stock
- 1 chicken (1.5kg), jointed into 8 pieces, sprinkled with salt
- 7 tbsp of vegetable oil
Method
Step 1
Cut the legs from the chicken and separate the thighs from the drumsticks. Separate the wings from the chicken and cut in half. Remove the breasts from the carcass and cut each in half.Step 2
Season the chicken pieces with salt, then dust with the flour.Step 3
Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium-high heat and sear the chicken, skin-side down, until it browns. Add the butter and continue to cook until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a wire rack. Discard any remaining fat from the pan.Step 4
In the same pan, fry the pancetta or smoked bacon over a medium heat until crispy. Add the sliced shallots and garlic to the pan and cook over a medium heat until softened. Prepare the bouquet garni by tying the herbs together with string. Add the chicken back to the pan, then pour in the red wine and add the bouquet garni. Simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes, until reduced and syrupy, before adding the tomato paste and 250ml chicken stock. Simmer over a medium-low heat for 15 minutes.Step 5
Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the button mushrooms with 1 clove of garlic and a pinch of salt over a medium heat until browned. Add the white wine and cook until reduced, then remove mushrooms from the pan and set aside.Step 6
In the pan you fried the mushrooms, heat 1 tbsp oil over a medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, then fry until softened. Set aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil to the same pan and fry the carrots with a pinch of salt until softened.Step 7
Add the cooked mushrooms, onions and carrots to the pan with the chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes over a medium heat. Season to taste.Step 8
To make the polenta, add the milk and 200ml chicken stock to a pan with a generous pinch of salt. Add the polenta and cook over a medium heat, stirring, for 8 minutes, until it’s the consistency of mashed potato. Grate in the cheese and stir in the butter, grate in some nutmeg then transfer to a serving dish.Step 9
Check the consistency of the chicken – it should be like a thick stew. Add more stock if it looks too dry, then stir in most of the fresh parsley. Serve the chicken with the polenta, garnished with more fresh parsley and freshly ground black pepper.