Description
Coq au Vin is a classic French main course featuring tender chicken pieces braised slowly in rich red wine with bacon, pearl onions, mushrooms, and aromatic herbs, delivering deep flavors and a luscious sauce perfect for a hearty meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasonings
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cooking Base
- 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 ounces lardons or slab bacon, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Liquids and Herbs
- 1 bottle (750ml) red wine, preferably a Burgundy or Pinot Noir
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
- 3 cups chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
Vegetables and Finish
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces peeled pearl onions
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- Beurre manié: 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon softened butter (optional)
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat and Season: Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Pat dry the chicken pieces thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
- Cook Bacon: In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced lardons or bacon and cook until golden and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot.
- Brown Chicken: Add oil if needed to the pot. Add the chicken pieces without overcrowding; brown them on all sides over medium-high heat for about 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Remove the chicken to a plate with the reserved bacon and set aside.
- Trim Excess Fat: If the chicken rendered a lot of fat, drain or wipe most of it out, leaving about 1 tablespoon to keep the browned bits intact in the pot.
- Sauté Vegetables: Lower heat to medium, add chopped onions and carrots. Cook until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
- Add Tomato Paste and Flour: Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then add flour and cook for another minute to remove raw flavor.
- Deglaze and Reduce Wine: Pour in the red wine and add the tied thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Simmer, skimming any foam, until the wine is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
- Add Stock and Return Chicken: Add the chicken stock, season with salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Return the chicken pieces, bacon, and any accumulated juices to the pot.
- Braise in Oven: Cover the pot and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 45 minutes or until the chicken is very tender.
- Prepare Pearl Onions and Mushrooms: With about 15 minutes left on the chicken, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add pearl onions with a pinch of salt; cook until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add another tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter to the pan, then sauté mushrooms until browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside with the onions.
- Remove Chicken and Herbs: Once cooking is complete, carefully remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the sauce.
- Thicken Sauce (Optional): If desired, make beurre manié by mixing 1 tablespoon softened butter with 1 tablespoon flour. Return pot to medium-high heat and whisk in beurre manié gradually to thicken the sauce. Adjust thickness as needed by adding more or thinning with stock or wine if too thick.
- Finish Sauce and Combine: Taste sauce and adjust seasoning. Stir in ¼ cup chopped parsley, reserving the rest for garnish. Add the reserved pearl onions and mushrooms to the sauce.
- Serve: Return the chicken to the pot to rewarm if serving family-style, garnish with remaining parsley, and serve. Alternatively, plate the chicken and spoon the sauce with vegetables over it, then garnish with parsley.
Notes
- Coq au Vin is ideal for making ahead; flavors develop beautifully after resting in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Cool completely before refrigerating.
- Leftovers keep well in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- This dish freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- When reheating, skim off any solidified fat from the surface before warming gently on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add liquid like stock or wine if sauce thickens too much.
- You can reheat in the oven at 350ºF for about 30 minutes if preferred.
- If pearl onions are not available peeled, blanch and skin them by scoring the root end and plunging in boiling water, then shocking in ice water.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
