Coq au vin pie
Classic French coq au vin meets chicken pie to produce the ultimate in comfort food. Poaching the chicken creates a wonderfully tender chicken filling. If you are in a hurry, poach 5 chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken. If time allows, leave the chicken to cool in the poaching liquid.
You will need a deep, round, lipped 28cm/11in pie dish.
Ingredients
For the poached chicken
- 2kg/4lb 8oz whole chicken
- 2 celery sticks, sliced
- 1 large onion, halved
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 chicken stock pots or cubes
For the filling
- 450ml/16fl oz red wine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 450g/1lb shallots, peeled and left whole
- 200g/7oz smoked bacon lardons
- 200g/7oz button mushrooms
- 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 4 tbsp brandy
- 60²µ/2¼´Ç³ú plain flour
- 400ml/14fl oz chicken stock
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- dash gravy granules (optional)
- pinch caster sugar (optional)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pie
- 500g/1lb 2oz block ready-made puff pastry
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
- freshly streamed green vegetables, to serve
Method
To poach the chicken, place the whole chicken in a tight-fitting deep saucepan with a lid. Add the celery, onion, carrot, bay leaves, stock pots and enough water to just cover the chicken. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a very low simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the leg, between the drumstick and the thigh, is pierced with a skewer. Carefully transfer the chicken to a large dish and leave to cool.
To make the filling, boil the wine in a saucepan over a high heat for about 10 minutes until reduced by a third (about 300ml/10fl oz). Set aside to cool.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the shallots and bacon for about 10 minutes, until the shallots are lightly golden and nearly soft. Add the mushrooms and fry for a few more minutes. Add the garlic and tomato purée and fry for 10 seconds.
Whisk the brandy and flour together in a bowl to make a paste. Pour in the reduced cooled wine and whisk until smooth. Add this liquid to the pan and boil and bubble for a few seconds. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, stirring until thickened. Add the oregano and Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 4–5 minutes. Add the gravy granules and sugar, if using. Set aside.
Remove the meat from the chicken carcass and chop into bite-sized pieces. Add the meat to the filling and stir to incorporate. Spoon into a deep, round, lipped 28cm/11in pie dish. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
To make the pie, roll out the pastry to a rectangle bigger than the dish. Slice a long strip from the pastry and stick it to the lip of the dish using water. Brush the pastry on the lip with the beaten egg, then lay the rectangle of pastry on top. Press down to seal. Trim the edges and crimp. Brush the pastry top with the beaten egg. If you want to use up the pastry trimmings, roll them out and cut out stars/shapes with a cutter. Arrange the shapes in the centre of the pie top. Brush with more beaten egg. Use a small, sharp knife to make a hole in the pie top to allow the steam to escape and prevent the pastry from being soggy.
Cook for about 35–40 minutes, until well risen, golden on top and heated through in the middle.
Cut the pie into slices and serve with green vegetables.
Recipe Tips
This pie can be assembled up to 6 hours ahead, then chill in the fridge until ready to cook. The filling can be made up to 1 day ahead then chill in the fridge until ready to use. The pie freezes well with raw pastry on top.