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WE LOOK AT A RECIPE FROM THE NEW COOKBOOK BY MARCUS WAREING THAT USES CHICKEN AND OTHER COMMON INGREDIENTS A classic coq au vin, while utterly delicious, is quite an involved recipe to

prepare.  There are lots of different elements that are cooked separately before being added at different times to a casserole dish.  With this recipe, as many of the stages as possible have

been taking out, while ensuring that the end result is just as tasty as the original.  It is good enough for a dinner party, but easy enough for a weeknight family dinner. It serves four to

six people and only requires 20 minutes of preparation time and about two hours and 20 minutes of cooking time.  INGREDIENTS 4 tbsp duck fat or butter 2 celery sticks, quartered 1 onion,

chopped 2 carrots, chopped 4 garlic cloves, finely grated 4 tbsp plain flour ½ tsp table salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 whole large chicken, jointed into 8 pieces 250g smoked

streaky bacon, cut into 1cm lardons 250g button mushrooms, halved if large 200g small shallots, halved if large 2 tbsp brandy 750ml white wine 3 bay leaves ½ bunch of fresh thyme 500ml

good-quality chicken stock 2 tsp cornflour (optional) ½ bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the duck fat or butter

in a large frying pan over high heat and, when hot, add the celery, onion and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, or until softened.  Add the garlic and fry for another minute or two. Remove

from the pan and set aside in an ovenproof casserole dish. 3. Combine the flour, salt and pepper, then dust the chicken pieces all over with the seasoned flour. Add the remaining 2

tablespoons of duck fat to the frying pan and fry the chicken pieces in batches until golden brown – each batch should take about 10 minutes.  Remove from the pan and add to the casserole

dish. 4. Add the bacon, mushrooms and shallots to the pan and fry for 5–7 minutes until well browned, then add to the chicken in the casserole dish. 5. Deglaze the pan with the brandy then

pour this over the ingredients in the casserole dish.  Place the casserole dish over the heat, add the wine, bay leaves and thyme (tied together with string) and bring to the boil.  Simmer

rapidly for about 15 minutes, then add the chicken stock and simmer gently for a further 15 minutes.  If needed, mix the cornflour with a little water and stir into the sauce to thicken. 6.

Cover and place in the oven for 40–50 minutes,or until the juices run clear when a chicken thigh is pierced with a knife in the thickest part. Remove the herbs tied with string, stir in the

parsley and serve. Marcus’s France by Marcus Wareing (Harper NonFiction, Hardback) with photography by Matt Russell 2024 is available now.