Coq Au Vin is a french classic. That might sound intimidating, but this recipe is simple to follow and totally worth the effort – for bragging rights alone!!
This dish is delicious on its own, served over noodles or with mashed potatoes.
This recipe was originally published in 2017 but was re-posted to include new photos, FAQs, and tips in 2020.
I remember the first time I had Coq Au Vin at a restaurant – it was love at first bite! And the start of a lifetime love affair with the dish. My recipe has evolved many times over the years, but I try to stay true to the classic method I was taught in school.
Why This Recipe Works
- Browning the chicken in the bacon fat gives the chicken extra flavor and golden color.
- Adding a touch of brandy creates a supremely rich sauce.
- The butter-flour roux added at the end creates a silky thickened sauce that’s just fantastic.
This dish is unbelievably delicious with so much depth of flavor. I like to think of this Coq Au Vin as the Queen of chicken stews. It takes some time to cook, but it can easily be made ahead of time and reheated before serving. It’s a dish that’s sure to impress anyone you serve it to.
What Chicken Is Best For Coq Au Vin
For stewing or braising chicken, it’s best to use chicken that’s on the bone. Chicken legs or thighs work best as they don’t dry out as much as white meat when cooked.
How To Use Chicken Breasts In Coq Au Vin
Although I highly recommend using dark meat, if breasts are your preference, you can use them in braising dishes if you do it right. I recommend brining the bone-in breasts for at least an hour first (although you can do it overnight). This will help keep them from drying out during cooking.
To make the brine, place the breasts in a large bowl with two quarts (8 cups) of cold water mixed with 1/3 cup kosher or sea salt (not table salt). Cover and put in the refrigerator for 1-8 hours. Just be sure to dry the chicken well and allow to come to room temperature before cooking.
Which Wine is Best for Coq au Vin?
Coq au vin is traditionally made with red wine (such as Pinot Noir or Shiraz), but that’s not to say you can’t make it with white or even rosé. Use what you like. A good rule of thumb is to choose a wine you’d like to drink. If you don’t like it by the glass, you probably won’t like it in your food.
An Extra Step For Fuller Flavor
This dish is a little labor intensive so I chose not to use this step in the recipe but wanted to share how I do things when I don’t mind the extra work.
Instead of using frozen pearl onions, use fresh baby or peal onions by sauteing them in butter until caramelized and add them to the pan at the same time as the browned chicken. They can be a little firm. They’ll finish cooking in the stew!
How To Make Coq Au Vin
Pat chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and season well with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the bacon and cook until crispy.
Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
Add the chicken to the pan skin-side down. Sear for undisturbed for 4 minutes. Then check to see if the skin is crispy and browned. If so, flip and repeat on the other side (if not allow another minute or two and flip when browned).
Transfer chicken a plate and set aside.
Add the onions and carrots to the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally, until the onions are transparent and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add the tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste until it is fragrant and begins to darken. Pour in the brandy and wine scraping the bottom to remove any stuck-on bits. Allow reducing by half.
Pour in chicken stock; stir to combine. Add the bacon back to the pan with the chicken, and any juices leftover from the plate back into the pot with the bay leaves.
Cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and browned.
Mash butter with the flour and stir into the pot (the heat will cook any lumps out). Add the pearl onions and the mushrooms.
Bring to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Tips For Best Results
- For Crispy Skin – Cook in the oven instead of on the stove. use a more shallow pan that allows the skin to sit slightly above the sauce. Bake covered at 350°F for 20 minutes then raise the heat to 400°F and cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes. Thicken on the stove with the chicken removed from the pan.
- When searing the chicken, start with a hot pan and don’t overcrowd the chicken in the pan. This will cause steaming instead of browning.
- Taste your bacon, if it’s salty go light on the salt then taste before serving and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Other Great Comfort Foods
FAQs
Yes, place in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to three months. I recommend freezing in individual servings as they defrost faster and you can just grab what you need.
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Let’s Make Coq Au Vin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces bacon chopped
- 6 chicken legs or thighs
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup brandy or sherry
- 1½ cups red wine
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- flat-leaf parsley a good handful including stems, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 oz Cremini Mushrooms sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup frozen pearl/baby onions
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and season well with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Add the chicken pieces in batches of two to the leftover bacon grease (skin side down). Sear for undisturbed for 4 minutes, check to see if the skin is crispy and browned, if so flip and repeat on the other side (if not allow another minute or two and flip when browned). Transfer chicken to the plate with the bacon. Set aside.
- Add the onions and carrots to the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally, until the onions are transparent and lightly browned.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Add the tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste until it is fragrant and begins to darken. Pour in the brandy and wine scraping the bottom to remove any stuck-on bits. Allow to reduce by half.
- Pour in chicken stock; stir to combine. Add the bacon, chicken, and any juices leftover from the plate back into the pot with the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
- While chicken cooks melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and browned. Set aside.
- If the sauce looks fatty, don't stir it into the sauce. Remove the fat by running a spoon over the surface just enough to allow the fat, but not the sauce, to spill into the spoon. Repeat until there's no more visible fat.
- Mash the butter with the flour and stir into the pot (the heat will cook any lumps out). Add the pearl onions and the mushrooms; bring to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed.
- Discard the skin and bay leaves before serving.
Tips + Notes
- When searing the chicken, start with a hot pan and don’t overcrowd the chicken in the pan. This will cause steaming instead of browning.
- Taste your bacon once it’s cooked, if it’s salty go light on the salt then taste before serving and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Cathy says
This was seriously DELICIOUS. What a great comfort dish!
Erren Hart says
I’m so happy to hear it, Cathy!
Michelle says
OMG – seriously amazing! Thank you!
Erren Hart says
Wonderful feedback! Thank you, Michellle!
Joanie Zisk says
One of my favorite dishes. Your photos are beautiful and have me craving this for dinner.
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Amazing! <3 I the flavors in this are so good.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
One of my all-time favorite dishes – scrumptious!
fearlessdining says
This looks so good. I can’t wait to give this a try.
Michelle De La Cerda says
That chicken looks delicious! Thank you for sharing it with us!
nicola says
I’ve heard of coq au vin, but I’ve never actually had it myself until trying your recipe. It was absolutely incredible! Thank you!
Erren Hart says
I’m glad mine was your first and that you enjoyed it! 🙂
swathiiyer says
I was reading about Classic coq au vin other day. I can see this delicious dish you made. Can I dive in.
Kylee Cooks says
Oh MYYYYYY. This is the perfect bowl of comfort food for this weather! I haven’t had coq au vin in forever!! 🙂