Coq au Vin, French chicken stew

Let's start with the chicken. Clean and cut into 8 pieces. Then salt and pepper the pieces. In my experience, it's better to marinate the chicken the day before, so the flavours come together better.

Slice the bacon, onion, carrot and celery.

In a large frying pan, fry the bacon in olive oil. When crispy, remove and set aside. Fry the chicken pieces in the remaining fat. Then take them out and set aside.

In the same pan, fry the onion, then add the vegetables and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Leave to soften for 15 minutes.

When the vegetables are soft, sprinkle in the flour and stir to thicken. Then pour in the wine and chicken stock. Stir until the flour is completely dissolved.

Add the chicken pieces and bacon and cover the pan. Cook over a low heat for 1 hour.

Add the fresh herbs in the last 15 minutes.

Serve the coq au vin with a fresh, crispy baguette. Rich with fresh vegetables and crispy bacon, it is a delicious dish made special by the complexity of flavours created during cooking.