Coq au Vin with Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients

• 8 chicken drumstick
• 150 g bacon, cut into lardons
• 250 g button mushroom, halved
• 12 shallot, peeled and left whole
• 2 garlic, minced
• 5 dl red wine
• 2½ dl chicken stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp wheat flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Method

1. 1.

   Season the chicken drumsticks — Pat the chicken drumsticks dry and season generously with salt and black pepper.

2. 2.

   Fry the bacon lardons — Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe pot and fry the bacon lardons over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. 3.

   Brown the chicken drumsticks — In the same pot, brown the chicken drumsticks on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove and set aside with the bacon.

4. 4.

   Cook the shallots and mushrooms — Add the shallots and mushrooms to the pot and cook for 5 minutes until lightly golden. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

5. 5.

   Deglaze with wine and stock — Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the vegetables, then stir in the tomato paste. Pour in the red wine and chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

6. 6.

   Braise in the oven — Return the chicken and bacon to the pot, add the thyme and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to a 180°C oven for 45 minutes, until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender.

7. 7.

   Season and serve the drumsticks — Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, then serve the drumsticks hot with their sauce.