Description
Coq au Vin is a classic French dish featuring tender chicken braised in red wine with bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions, creating a rich and flavorful stew perfect for a comforting meal.
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 Stocks
- 1 bottle (750ml) red wine, preferably a Burgundy or Pinot Noir
- 3 cups chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
Fats and Thickeners
- 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Beurre manié: 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon softened butter (optional)
Herbs and Seasonings
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat and Season: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Pat dry the chicken pieces with paper towels and 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 diced lardons or bacon and cook until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve, leaving drippings in the pot.
- Brown Chicken: Add more oil if necessary. Add chicken pieces without overcrowding and brown all sides, about 8-10 minutes. Work in batches if needed. Remove chicken and lardons to a plate and reserve.
- Prepare Vegetables: If excess fat is rendered, drain or wipe off leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot. Lower heat to medium, add chopped onion and carrots, cook until onions soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add Tomato Paste and Flour: Stir in tomato paste and cook for one minute, then add flour and cook another minute to remove raw flour taste.
- Deglaze with Wine: Pour in the red wine and add thyme sprigs and bay leaf, scraping browned bits from the bottom. Cook until wine reduces by half, about 10 minutes, skimming foam off the surface.
- Add Stock and Simmer: Add chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then add back the chicken pieces, lardons, and any accumulated juices.
- Braise in Oven: Cover and transfer pot to the preheated oven. Cook for 45 minutes until chicken is very tender.
- Sauté Pearl Onions: With about 15 minutes left, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add pearl onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until browned, 5-8 minutes. Remove and reserve.
- Sauté Mushrooms: Add another tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. Sauté mushrooms until browned, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then remove and reserve with onions.
- Remove Chicken and Herbs: After braising, carefully remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Remove and discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the pot.
- Thicken Sauce (Optional): Make beurre manié by mixing 1 tablespoon softened butter with 1 tablespoon flour if thicker sauce is desired. Return pot to medium-high heat, adding beurre manié in small amounts to thicken sauce. Thin with stock or wine if too thick. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Add Vegetables and Parsley: Stir in ¼ cup chopped parsley, reserving rest for garnish. Add sautéed pearl onions and mushrooms to the sauce.
- Serve: Either return the chicken to the pot, garnish with remaining parsley, and serve directly or pour sauce over chicken on a serving dish and garnish with parsley.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Coq au Vin develops deeper flavors when made one or two days ahead. Cool completely before refrigerating.
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Remove any solidified fat before reheating. Reheat gently on stovetop adding stock or wine if needed, or in the oven at 350ºF for about 30 minutes.
- If pearl onions are unavailable, substitute with small shallots or frozen pearl onions.
- Use good quality dry red wine such as Burgundy or Pinot Noir for best flavor.
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: 15 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 135 mg
