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Halal-conscious recipe

Halal coq au vin

A French braise of Halal chicken with shallots, mushrooms, garlic and herbs, made with Halal beef or turkey bacon, no brandy, and Halal chicken stock in place of the red wine.

  • Cuisine French
  • Meal Main
  • Difficulty Moderate
  • Yield 6 portions
  • Time 1h 45m
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

Printable view
A whole roast chicken in a black cast-iron pan with parsley, on a dark wooden table
Photograph from our ingredient library: a roast chicken, not the finished dish from this recipe.

Why Halal checks matter here

Coq au vin is chicken braised in 600 ml of red wine, with the pan deglazed in brandy and smoked pork bacon fried at the start; the chicken also needs Halal slaughter.

Coq au vin is chicken braised in red wine: the source uses 600 ml of it, deglazes the pan with brandy first, and starts by frying smoked pork bacon. This site does not treat alcohol cooked into a dish as Halal, so all three have to change.

This version follows Angela Nilsen's coq au vin for BBC Good Food with Halal beef bacon or turkey rashers, no brandy, and the same amount of Halal chicken stock in place of the wine. The sauce in the source is built on the wine, so this one will not taste of it; the shallots, mushrooms, garlic, tomato purée and herbs carry it instead.

Start with Halal chicken and a Halal or vegetable stock (see stock cubes), since the stock is now the whole sauce.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Red wine and brandy The published recipe deglazes the pan with 3 tbsp of brandy or Cognac and braises the chicken in 600 ml of red wine. This site does not treat alcohol cooked into a dish as Halal. Leave out the brandy and use the same amount of Halal chicken stock for the wine, as here. See Wine and Brandy.
  • Bacon The published recipe starts by frying smoked back bacon, which is pork. Turkey and beef bacon contain no pork but need Halal-slaughtered meat too. Use Halal-certified beef bacon or turkey rashers. See Bacon and Turkey bacon.
  • Chicken Chicken is a Halal bird, but the meat is only Halal when slaughtered according to Islamic rules. Buy from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Chicken.
  • Chicken stock Chicken stock cubes and pots contain chicken fat or extract that is not shown to be Halal, and here the stock makes up the whole sauce. Use a Halal-certified chicken stock or a vegetable stock labelled vegan or vegetarian. See Stock cubes.

Safe substitutes

  • 600 ml red wine → 600 ml extra Halal chicken stock
  • 3 tbsp brandy or Cognac → Leave it out and deglaze with a little of the stock
  • 3 rashers smoked pork back bacon → 100 g Halal beef bacon or Halal turkey rashers

Allergens

gluten (flour), milk (butter)

Ingredients

Chicken and sauce

  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • 100 g Halal beef bacon or Halal turkey rashers, chopped (instead of smoked pork back bacon)
  • 12 small shallots, peeled
  • 2 (460 g) Halal chicken legs, skin removed
  • 4 (650 g) Halal bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
  • 2 (280 g) Halal skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 600 ml Halal chicken stock (instead of 600 ml red wine)
  • 150 ml Halal chicken stock
  • 2 tsp tomato purée
  • 3, 2 and 2 thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs and bay leaves, tied as a bouquet garni
  • a small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish

Mushrooms and thickener

  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • 250 g chestnut mushrooms, halved if large
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1½ tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp butter, softened

Method

  1. Fry the bacon and shallots. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large heavy-based pan or flameproof dish and fry the chopped Halal bacon until crisp. Lift out onto kitchen paper. Fry the shallots in the same pan for 5 to 8 minutes, shaking often, until browned all over, then set aside with the bacon.
  2. Brown the chicken. Pat the skinned chicken dry. Add ½ tbsp oil and brown half the pieces for 5 to 8 minutes, turning, then repeat with the rest and set aside.
  3. Deglaze and build the sauce. Fry the garlic briefly. Return the legs and thighs with their juices, pour in a little of the 600 ml stock and scrape the bottom of the pan. Stir in the rest of the 600 ml stock, the 150 ml stock and the tomato purée, add the bouquet garni, season with pepper and a pinch of salt, and return the bacon and shallots.
  4. Simmer. Cover, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, add the chicken breasts and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
  5. Fry the mushrooms. Just before serving, heat 1½ tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the mushrooms over a high heat for a few minutes until golden. Keep warm.
  6. Thicken and serve. Lift the chicken, shallots and bacon onto a warm dish and remove the bouquet garni. Mix the flour, 1½ tsp oil and butter into a paste. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and whisk in the paste a little at a time, then simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Scatter the mushrooms over the chicken, pour over the sauce and garnish with parsley.

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Coq au vin' by Angela Nilsen (serves 6: 3 rashers of smoked back bacon fried crisp; 12 shallots browned 5 to 8 minutes; 2 legs, 4 thighs and 2 boneless breasts, skinned, browned in batches; garlic, then 3 tbsp brandy or Cognac to deglaze; 600 ml red wine, 150 ml chicken stock, 2 tsp tomato purée and a bouquet garni of thyme, rosemary and bay; covered and simmered 50 minutes to 1 hour with the breasts added; mushrooms fried separately; sauce thickened with a paste of 2 tbsp flour, olive oil and butter). We specified Halal chicken, replaced the pork bacon with Halal beef or turkey bacon, left out the brandy, and replaced the red wine with the same amount of extra Halal chicken stock. The source's sauce is built on the wine, so this one will not taste of it. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Coq au vin — BBC Good Food Retrieved:

    By Angela Nilsen. Serves 6, prep 25 minutes, cook 1 hour 20 minutes: smoked back bacon, 12 shallots, skinned chicken legs, thighs and breasts, garlic, 3 tbsp brandy or Cognac, 600 ml red wine, 150 ml chicken stock, tomato purée and a bouquet garni, simmered 50 minutes to 1 hour; mushrooms and a flour-and-butter thickener. We replaced the bacon, brandy and wine.

  2. Wine analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    Why wine is not Halal, including wine cooked into a sauce.

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