You can’t beat a classic; but you can speed it up! Coq-au-vin is traditionally cooked with meat on the bone (thighs, drumsticks &tc). Although delicious, when you’re late home from work on a week-night; we don’t all have that luxury of time. But this doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a satisfying home-cooked meal!

This dish sees the chicken cooked on the hob (far quicker than in the oven) . I use diced breast-pieces to speed things up a notch. You can of course revert to slower-cooked cuts of meat if you don’t have time constraints; but as it’s a Thursday-night, I’m opting for the faster version!

Start by sautéing chopped bacon (lardons) in a thick-bottomed pan. If more fat is required to prevent the bacon from sticking, then add a knob of butter and a splash of oil. Once browned, add your chicken-pieces.

Chop onions or shallots into hearty chunks and add these to the pan. Follow this with a little chopped garlic. Once the chicken and vegetables are nicely brown, deglaze the pan with a little red-wine. Once this is almost reduced, pour on water until the chicken is shoulder-high in liquid. Season well and crumble in a stock-cube.

Whilst your stock is reducing, place your mushrooms on a baking-tray and crush a little garlic onto each. Top this with a knob of button, season generously, then into the oven it goes. After 15 minutes, add slices of blue cheese, then bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the cheese is gloriously sizzling and just starting to brown.

By this time, your chicken should be almost ready. Add a squeeze of tomato purée and a good handful of mange-tout. Place a lid on the pan and steam the vegetables in the sauce for two minutes until al dente.

Ladle the chicken onto your serving-dish and position the mushrooms beside it. A final flourish of chopped parsley completes the job, and dinner is served!

All in all, a meal fit for a king (and a low-carb one at that!).

Thanks for ready and bon ap!

Adam