A Cheater's Coq Au Vin

You know those days, where you're searching through your cupboards trying to gather ingredients to make an acceptable dinner? Then behind all your jars and spices you spy a cheeky Colman's sachet of Coq Au Vin and you remember those chicken drumsticks that you've got in the refrigerator. The prospect of a hassle free meal is just too darn tempting so you retrieve the sachet and get to work!

All you need to do to make this delicious meal is to mix the sachet with 425ml of cold water ( or if you're feeling like a little tipple then substitute 300ml of the water for some red wine). As I was making the Coq Au Vin for both Oliver and myself I opted to use all water. You can also add onions to the sauce if you should desire.

You need to lay out your chicken portions in which ever dish you are using. It is completely up to you whether you use drumsticks, thighs, breasts etc. The Colman's recipe recommends removing the skin from the chicken but I left mine on. When you're chicken is laid out then pour over your Coq Au vin sauce, making sure to cover all of your chicken.

Cover the dish and cook at a temperature of 180c or gas mark 4 for 90 minutes.

And bon appétit!

As you can probably see, I cooked some green beans and then added them to the dish once it had came out of the oven. This turned out rather well as the green beans were delicious covered in the sauce and went well with the meal.

I served my Coq Au Vin with mashed potatoes but it would also be very tasty with new potatoes, baked potato or whatever you fancy really!

All in all this was a very delicious stress free dinner and while I will definitely be attempting a homemade Coq Au Vin sauce sometime soon, I have to say Colman's have nailed it.

Being bad has never tasted so good...