This quintessential French dish features slowly simmered chicken in a rich wine sauce.
Coq au Vin is one of those dishes I’ve been trying to recreate ever since the first time I had it, in a bistro in Paris a pretty long time ago. Of course, I’d had chicken in wine sauce prior to that, but never anything remotely like the miraculously falling-off-the-bone meat that literally melted in my mouth, and a sauce so intensely delicious that I had to ask for more bread so I could sop up every last drop. I’ve been making Coq au Vin for a long while now but not until this recipe have I found a version that comes close to the one that stole my culinary heart.
Most foodie historians agree that people have been braising chicken in wine since ancient times, and it is well known that Coq au Vin, which literally translates to “rooster in wine,” was a dish prepared by French peasants when their roosters were no longer able to breed; talk about a ‘tough old bird.’ It turns out that cooking the bird in wine made it tender and delicious. Still, no one is sure of the exact inventor of Coq au Vin. However, one thing everyone agrees on is that its popularity skyrocketed in the U.S. after 1961 when Julia Child published her recipe for it in the iconic Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She also cooked it on her famous PBS cooking show, The French Chef. It became one of her signature dishes, and now it can be one of yours, too.
Although this is a simple dish to prepare, there are a lot of steps and every single one of them counts. The layering of flavors brings wonderful complexity, starting with browning the chicken and then the onions, carrots, and garlic in bacon fat. Then you will pour in the red wine and deglaze. Next, the stock and herbs join the party, bringing both richness and freshness, and then the chicken and bacon are returned to the pot and the braising begins. Toward the end of the cooking time, you’ll make a roux from butter and flour, cook the mushrooms and onions in it, and then add these to the pot and cook on the stovetop until the sauce thickens. Julia Child famously said, “People who love to eat are always the best people,” and you will absolutely love eating this Coq au Vin.
A dish this rich goes really well with something fresh and crisp, like a green salad; I like mine tossed in Italian Dressing, but French Dressing works, too!
The Beauty of Braising
Braising takes more time than some other cooking methods but the results are worth every minute because there is no better way to ensure tenderness. The key to a successful braise is to quickly brown the meat in some kind of fat (we are using bacon fat because…bacon!), deglaze the pan with the wine (picking up the brown bits on the bottom of the Dutch Oven, which have the most profound flavor), and then gently simmering the meat and vegetables and aromatics low and slow in a covered pot with flavorful liquid: for Coq au Vin, that is a full-bodied red wine and rich chicken broth. As the dish braises, all of the flavors will meld and marry, the meat will become so meltingly tender, and you’ll create the most deeply flavorful sauce.
How to Make Ahead and Store?
You can make Coq au Vin the day before you want to serve it, and, in fact, you may want to because it tastes even better the next day; allow it to cool completely and then store it in the fridge in the Dutch oven; reheat on low (if you don’t allow the Dutch oven to cool first, the drastic change in temperature can cause thermal shocking, leading to cracks in the cookware). Leftover Coq au Vin can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Coq au Vin is wonderful over buttery egg noodles, but there are lots of other things that provide the perfect base for soaking up that sauce. Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Creamy Polenta are luscious choices, so rich and satisfying, as is Potatoes au Gratin. However, if you want something a bit lighter, Baked Rice works really well, too. Something green is always nice with Coq au Vin, and when I can’t decide between Green Beans or Roasted Brussels Sprouts, I serve both!
When you order Coq au Vin in a restaurant, you’ll find a crusty baguette there, too; if you have a bakery nearby that makes the best baguettes, definitely get one and slather it with Whipped Butter or Garlic Butter. But one thing I’ve discovered is that other kinds of bread are also delicious with Coq au Vin; I really love the soft, slightly sweet Challah dunked into that savory sauce. And here’s something amazing I hadn’t anticipated: once I had guests over and served Coq au Vin with slices of Challah and a side of Blue Cheese Vidalia Onions, one of my guests put that savory, cheesy onion slice on top of the bread and I was inspired, so now I’m recommending that to you, too!
Coq au Vin Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups full-bodied red wine such as Pinot Noir or Burgundy
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup pearl onions peeled
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large Dutch oven, cook diced bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In the same pot, brown chicken on both sides. Remove and set aside.
- Add chopped onions and carrots to the pot, sauté until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- Pour in red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Add chicken stock, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a simmer.
- Return chicken and bacon to the pot. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 1 hour, or until chicken is tender.
- In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to form a roux. Add mushrooms and pearl onions, cook until browned and tender.
- Remove chicken from the oven. Place pot over medium heat. Stir in mushroom and onion mixture. Cook until sauce thickens slightly.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Leave a Comment