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Classic Coq Au Vin features tender chicken braised in red wine with bacon, mushrooms, and onions for a rich, savory French dish.
The Coziest French Chicken Stew You’ll Ever Make
I keep telling myself I should make something lighter, something fresher, maybe a nice little salad or a smoothie. But instead… I keep making Coq Au Vin. Over and over. Because it’s rich, cozy, deeply flavorful, and basically makes me feel like I should be sitting in a tiny Parisian bistro with a glass of wine in hand.
We’re talking fall-apart tender chicken braised in red wine, crispy bits of smoky bacon, buttery mushrooms, sweet pearl onions, and a sauce that is straight-up magic. It’s a little rustic, a little fancy, and it only gets better as it sits. So yes, I am fully eating this for dinner, lunch, and maybe even breakfast because who’s stopping me?
Know Before You Scroll
- Flavor Profile: Fall-apart tender chicken braised in a rich, velvety red wine sauce with smokey bacon, earthy mushrooms, sweet pearl onions, and fresh herbs.
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate. The steps are simple, but patience is key—low and slow make this dish incredible.
- Equipment Needed: A large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, tongs, wooden spoon, slotted spoon, and small bowl for flour slurry.
- Make-Ahead Note: This dish tastes even better the next day! Let it rest overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently on the stove for deeper, more developed flavors.
- Time-Saving Hack: Use pre-peeled pearl onions and pre-sliced mushrooms to cut down on prep time. Blanching pearl onions in hot water makes peeling a breeze!
- Ingredient Swaps: No red wine? Use beef broth with a splash of balsamic vinegar. No bacon? Try pancetta or turkey bacon. Need it gluten-free? Use cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the sauce.
- Perfect Pairings: Classic mashed potatoes are always a win, or try sour cream mashed potatoes for extra creaminess. Craving a little crunch? The crispy edges of Roasted Potatoes contrast perfectly with tender chicken and silky sauce.
Recipe
Coq Au Vin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces bacon (chopped)
- 6 chicken legs or thighs
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 3 carrots
- 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
- 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.
Step-by-Step Recipe Guide
Detailed Instructions⬇️
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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!
Step By Step Instructions
Alright, friends, let’s make something cozy, rich, and a little bit fancy—Coq Au Vin! Think tender chicken, crispy bacon, and a deep, velvety red wine sauce that’s basically a hug in a bowl. Let’s get started! First, bacon. Because every great dish starts with bacon, right? We’re cooking up 4 ounces until it’s crispy and golden. Scoop it out and set it aside—but don’t even think about tossing that bacon fat. We need it!
Next up, the chicken. We’re using 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or legs. Pat them dry—that’s how we get that golden, crispy sear. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Now, into the pot! Let them sizzle, skin-side down, for about 4 minutes until they’re beautifully browned. Flip and repeat, then take them out and set them aside.
In go 1 chopped onion and 3 carrots, sliced. Let them cook down for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft and golden. Then, 4 cloves of garlic, because garlic makes everything better.
Time to build that deep, rich flavor. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and stir it in until it darkens. Now, the good stuff: ¼ cup of brandy or sherry—let that sizzle and cook off. Then, pour in 1½ cups of red wine (something dry, like Pinot Noir) and scrape up all those delicious browned bits from the bottom.
Now, 1½ cups of chicken stock goes in, followed by our crispy bacon and seared chicken. Toss in 2 bay leaves, and a handful of chopped parsley stems, cover, and let it simmer on low for 20 minutes.
While that magic is happening, let’s cook up 8 ounces of sliced Cremini mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter. Let them get soft, golden, and totally irresistible—about 8 to 10 minutes.
Now, here’s our secret weapon for a luscious sauce: 2 tablespoons of butter mashed with 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir that in—it’ll thicken everything beautifully.
If the sauce looks a little fatty, just skim the extra off the top with a spoon. It keeps the sauce silky and smooth.
Last step! 1 cup of frozen pearl onions and those gorgeous mushrooms go in. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes until everything is rich, thick, and totally drool-worthy.
And there it is—the coziest, most flavorful French comfort food!
Erren’s Top Tips
- Dry the Chicken! Patting the chicken dry before seasoning helps it sear properly, creating that crispy, golden crust. Soggy skin = no good.
- 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.
- 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.
- Cook in Stages – Don’t rush it! Cook the bacon, then the chicken, then sauté the veggies. This builds layers of flavor in your sauce.
- Taste your bacon, if it’s salty go light on the salt then taste before serving and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Use a Good Wine – No, you don’t need the fancy $50 bottle, but go for a dry red wine you’d actually drink, like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. The flavor will shine through!
- Scrape the Pan – When you add the wine, use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits. That’s where the magic happens.
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan – Searing the chicken in batches ensures each piece gets that golden crust. Overcrowding = steaming instead of browning.
- Skim the Fat – Once everything has simmered, check the surface for excess fat and skim it off with a spoon to keep the sauce rich but not greasy.
- Make It a Day Ahead – Like any great braised dish, Coq Au Vin tastes even better the next day. The flavors deepen overnight!
Storage & Freezing Instructions ❄
Storing Leftovers:
Once cooled, store Coq Au Vin in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.
Freezing Instructions:
Coq Au Vin freezes beautifully! Let it cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm slowly on the stove.
FAQs
What wine should I use for Coq Au Vin?
Go for a dry red wine like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot. Avoid sweet wines, as they won’t give you the deep, rich flavor you need.
Can I make Coq Au Vin in a slow cooker?
Yes! Sear the bacon and chicken first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. Add the butter-flour mixture at the end to thicken the sauce.
Can I use white wine instead of red?
Absolutely! If you swap in white wine, you’re making Coq au Vin Blanc, a slightly lighter but equally delicious version of this dish.
Can I make this ahead of time?
YES! Coq Au Vin is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day. If possible, make it a day ahead, store it in the fridge, and reheat gently before serving.
Do I have to use brandy or sherry?
Not necessarily! While ¼ cup of brandy or sherry adds depth, you can leave it out or replace it with extra wine or chicken stock.
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