Description
Coq au Vin is a classic French dish featuring tender chicken braised in rich red wine with lardons, pearl onions, mushrooms, and aromatic herbs. This comforting main course offers deep, savory flavors developed through slow cooking in a Dutch oven.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Meat
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 4 ounces lardons or slab bacon, diced
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 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 Seasonings
- 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 bottle (750ml) red wine, preferably Burgundy or Pinot Noir
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
- 3 cups chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Finishing Touches
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Beurre manié: 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon softened butter (optional)
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350ºF to prepare for braising the chicken.
- Season Chicken: Pat the chicken pieces dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook Lardons: 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 lardons and reserve, leaving drippings in the pot.
- Brown Chicken: Add more oil if needed. Brown chicken in batches over medium-high heat until golden on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken and lardons to a plate and reserve.
- Prepare Vegetables: If excess fat is rendered, drain leaving about 1 tablespoon. Lower heat to medium, add chopped onions and carrots, cooking until onions soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add Flavorings: Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and cook another 1 minute to remove raw taste.
- Deglaze with Wine: Pour in red wine, add thyme and bay leaf, scrape browned bits from pot bottom. Simmer until wine reduces by half, about 10 minutes, skimming foam.
- Add Stock and Simmer: Stir in chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, bring to boil. Return chicken and lardons along with juices to the pot.
- Braise Chicken: Cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Cook for 45 minutes until chicken is very tender.
- Sauté Pearl Onions and Mushrooms: With about 15 minutes remaining, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown pearl onions with a pinch of salt for 5-8 minutes, then set aside. Add another 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter, sauté mushrooms until browned about 8-10 minutes, season, and set aside.
- Remove Chicken and Herbs: After braising, carefully remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
- Thicken Sauce (Optional): Make beurre manié by mixing softened butter and flour. Return pot to stove on medium-high, whisk in beurre manié to thicken sauce to desired consistency, adding more if needed or thinning with stock or wine.
- Adjust Seasoning and Finish: Taste sauce and adjust salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped parsley and add back pearl onions and mushrooms.
- Serve: Return chicken to pot, garnish with remaining parsley, or serve chicken on a dish topped with sauce and garnish.
Notes
- Coq au Vin is ideal for making ahead; flavors improve after refrigerating one or two days.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze Coq au Vin for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat, remove solidified fat, then gently warm on the stove adding stock or wine as needed, or in the oven at 350ºF for 30 minutes.
- Pearl onions can be peeled ahead of time by blanching in boiling water for easier removal of skins.
- Use good quality red wine such as Burgundy or Pinot Noir for best flavor.
- Beurre manié is optional but helps achieve a richer, thicker sauce.
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: 18 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 45 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
