Coq Au Vin Skewers

Coq Au Vin Skewers

Ingredients:

☐ 300g Skinless Chicken Thighs

☐ 200g diced bacon (or Lardons, diced)

☐ 500ml Red Wine

☐ 1 small Onion, diced

☐ Garlic

☐ 4 sprigs fresh Thyme

☐ 2 Bay Leaves

☐ 8 Pearl Onions, or 4 cut in half if too large (see note 1)

☐ 2 Carrots, about 2-3cm in diameter

☐ 8 small Mushrooms, stalks removed

☐ 8 new baby Potatoes (see note 2)

☐ ☐ Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cut Chicken into large chunks. Set aside in a bowl or container with a lid.
2. Spray a frypan with oil and over medium heat, fry onions, garlic and lardons until the onions have softened, a minute or two. Add thyme and bay leaves. Cook until onions are golden. Season to taste. Add the red wine and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Let it cool a bit then pour over the chicken, and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
4. Peel Carrots and cut into quarters, par-boil to slightly soften, about 2-5 minutes.
5. Wash and par-boil potatoes until just soft when pricked with a fork – no need to peel them if they are clean, boil for between 8 and 15 minutes. Set potatoes and carrots aside to cool or put them in a bowl of iced water for a speedier result.
6. If using bamboo skewers, half an hour before you start the skewer building process, soak 8 x skewers in water for 30 minutes.
7. After you’ve soaked the skewers, load up each one with 2 pieces marinated chicken, 2 pieces carrot, 2 mushrooms and 2 pearl onion, or more if your skewers are long enough and you have enough ingredients to load more on.
8. Lightly spray a grill pan or fry pan with oil and fry the skewers on all sides. Serve with mashed potato and ratatouille, or other vegetables of your choice.

Notes:

1. Pearl onions can be found in the freezer section of some Indian or Asian grocery stores, and some independent fruit and veg stores. If I can’t find them, I have been known to buy a jar of pickled onions and soak them in tap water in a bowl, or back in their jar, rinsing most of the vinegar from them.
2. For small potatoes, I sometimes buy canned potatoes in the canned vegetable aisle of the supermarket. Just rinse them in a colander under cold water first. And be gentle putting them onto skewers – they’re quite fragile and soft.
3. Lardon is a small piece of fatty pork or bacon that’s used to add flavour to many dishes. When cooked, it’s the fats that produce most of this. Lardons are often used in French cooking, but normal bacon will also adds flavour and texture, plus it will reduce the calories!