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! Take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7. 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 and chop your shallots in half. Crush your garlic open by squashing with the side of a knife and discard the skin. Once the dish is hot, add your chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 3 min on each side or until lightly browned.
Add the halved shallots and crushed garlic with your tomato paste and 1 tbsp [1 ½ tbsp] [2 tbsp] flour and give everything a good mix up. Add 350ml [455ml] [650ml] boiled water with 1 tsp [1 ½ tsp] [2 tsp] sugar, your red wine paste and beef stock mix. Crumble in your white cup mushrooms and bring to the boil over a high heat.
Once boiling, add your bay leaf[ves] and dried thyme. 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 40 min or until cooked through. Use this time to clear up, set the table, have a cup of tea or simply chill!
Once everything's ready, remove the potatoes from the oven and crush them firmly with a spatula or the bottom of a plate. Add a couple of knobs of butter and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and mix it all together – these are your buttery crushed potatoes.
Remove the bay leaf[ves] from the dish. Serve the coq au vin with the buttery crushed potatoes to the side. Tear your parsley roughly over the top. Dig in!
