Free Range Chicken & Bacon Coq Au Vin With Buttery Potatoes & Beans

Before you begin...

This recipe takes around 5-10 min to prep, so get your casserole dish and all your ingredients ready, then wash your fruit and veg

Note: Make sure your dish is oven-proof and safe to use on the hob. Don't have one? Start cooking in a large, wide-based pan then transfer to an oven-proof dish and cover tightly with foil

Now, let's get started!

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7, then take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Boil a full kettle

Heat a large, wide-based hob-safe oven-proof casserole dish with a matching lid with a drizzle of olive oil over high heat

Peel your shallot[s]

Crush your garlic open by squashing with the side of a knife and discard the skin

Once the dish is hot, add your chicken and bacon lardons with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 3 min on each side or until lightly browned

Add the peeled shallots and crushed garlic with your tomato paste and 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] flour and give everything a good mix up

Add 350ml [450ml] [650ml] boiled water with 1/2 tsp [1 tsp] [1 1/2 tsp] sugar, your red wine paste and beef stock mix

Crumble in your chestnut mushrooms and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, add your bay leaf[ves] and herbs de Provence

Cover with a lid and put the dish in the oven for 40 min or until the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your coq au vin

Add your potatoes to a baking tray and prick them a few times with a sharp knife, add a drizzle of olive oil and put the tray in the oven for an initial 30 min

Use this time to clear up, set the table, have a cup of tea or simply chill!

When everything's nearly ready, trim your green beans

Add the trimmed green beans to a large piece of tin foil with a splash of cold water and a drizzle of olive oil and scrunch the foil around them to form a tightly sealed parcel (cooking for 3 or more? Make 2 separate parcels!)

Once the potatoes have had an initial 30 min, remove the tray from the oven and add the green bean parcel to the tray

Return the tray to the oven for 10-12 min or until the green beans are tender with a slight bite and the potatoes are cooked through and golden

Once cooked, crush the baked potatoes firmly with a spatula, then add a knob of butter and a generous pinch of salt