Description
Classic French Coq au Vin features chicken braised slowly in rich red wine with bacon, mushrooms, pearl onions, and fresh herbs, resulting in tender, flavorful meat and a luscious sauce perfect for an elegant dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Meat
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 4 ounces lardons or slab bacon, diced
Vegetables
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces peeled pearl onions
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
Liquids and Fats
- 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 bottle (750ml) red wine, preferably a Burgundy or Pinot Noir
- 3 cups chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Herbs and Seasonings
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
Other Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Beurre manié: 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon softened butter, optional
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350ºF to prepare for braising the chicken.
- Season Chicken: Pat dry chicken pieces and season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
- Cook Bacon: Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add diced lardons and cook until golden, about 6-8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve, leaving drippings in the pot.
- Brown Chicken: Add more oil if needed, then brown chicken in batches without overcrowding for 8-10 minutes until golden on all sides. Remove chicken and bacon to a plate and reserve.
- Drain Excess Fat: If too much fat rendered, discard excess leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
- Sauté Vegetables: Lower heat to medium; add chopped onion and carrots, cooking until onions soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute to release aroma.
- Add Tomato Paste and Flour: Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then add flour and cook another minute to remove raw flour taste.
- Deglaze and Reduce Wine: Pour in red wine, add thyme and bay leaf, scraping browned bits from pot bottom. Cook until wine is reduced by half, about 10 minutes, skimming foam.
- Add Stock and Chicken: Add chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, bring to boil, then return chicken, bacon, and any collected juices to pot.
- Braise in Oven: Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook for 45 minutes until chicken is very tender.
- Prepare Vegetables: With 15 minutes left on chicken, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter in sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown pearl onions with salt for 5-8 minutes; remove and reserve.
- Sauté Mushrooms: Add 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter to pan, cook mushrooms until browned for 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; remove and reserve with onions.
- Remove Chicken and Herbs: When stew is done, remove chicken to plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
- Thicken Sauce (Optional): Mix 1 tablespoon softened butter and 1 tablespoon flour for beurre manié. Return pot to stove over medium-high heat, add beurre manié to thicken sauce if desired, adjusting thickness with more stock or wine.
- Finish Sauce and Combine: Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in ¼ cup chopped parsley along with reserved pearl onions and mushrooms.
- Serve: Return chicken to pot or serving vessel, garnish with remaining parsley, and serve with sauce poured over.
Notes
- Coq au Vin tastes even better the next day; make ahead and refrigerate after cooling completely.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in fridge before reheating.
- Reheat on stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adding stock or wine as needed, or in the oven at 350ºF for about 30 minutes.
- Use pearl onions from frozen or canned if fresh are unavailable; peel easily by blanching in boiling water.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 45 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg
