Yes, this is based on the French classic, coq au vin. No, I am not as original and cool as you. No, I do not care. Yes, I am going to make this anyway.

I’ve made a couple of slight changes to a traditional coq au vin due to what was in the house at the time – I swapped out red wine for white and added some cherry tomatoes because we have a fuck load of them in the garden at the moment – but the rest of it is basically the same.

I’ve also cooked this in the wood oven for a little extra wood fired tastiness because, well, I think you all know my theory on wood fired tastiness by now. I also hope you realise that your kitchen oven will be fine for the task though.

CHICKEN WITH WHITE WINE

(serves 4)

4 chicken marylands (drumstick and thigh) from a purveyor of quality meats
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon dried thyme
4 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
12 button or swiss brown mushrooms, halved
12 baby onions (pickling onions), peeled
1x 250 g punnet of cherry tomatoes or the equivalent from your garden
½ bottle chardonnay
Oil

Place chicken into a baking dish that is large enough to fit everything.
Season with a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, garlic, thyme and bay leaves as a dry brine.
Place seasoned chicken into fridge and allow to sit for at least 1 hour, and up to 4 hours.
Pre heat your oven, drum or kettle BBQ to 350 F (175 C).
Remove chook from fridge and tuck all of the vegetables underneath the marylands.
Give it all a splash of olive oil to lube it all up.
Get it into the oven.
After 30 minutes take it out and give it a little shake. Add the wine to the baking dish, cover with foil and get it back into the oven for another 30 minutes.
Now remove the foil and put chicken back into oven until fully cooked and sauce is reduced a little – probably another 30 minutes.
Serve with mashed potato, sautéed green beans and crusty bread for juice mopping duties.
I think you’ll agree that this is one very tasty coq.