Coq au Vin

Name: Coq au Vin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 4 chicken drumsticks; 4 chicken thighs; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; ¼ teaspoon salt; 4 ounces pancetta or bacon; 3 medium carrots; 1 medium onion; 4 cloves garlic; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 3 cups red wine; 2 cups chicken stock; 8 fresh thyme sprigs; 1 bay leaf; 5 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 cups pearl onions; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 8 ounces mushrooms

User Reviews

5.0

3 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings
4 to 6 servings
Calories
962 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
French

Coq au Vin

Adam Gates

Report

This coq au vin recipe tastes fancy, but all you need to make it are a few pantry staples! The rich, flavor-packed red wine sauce and unbelievably succulent chicken will knock your socks off.

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

Be the first!

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

4 chicken drumsticks (bone-in)
4 chicken thighs (bone-in)
½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more for seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt plus more for seasoning
4 ounces pancetta or bacon diced (113g)
3 medium carrots chopped
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups red wine (720ml)
2 cups chicken stock (480ml)
8 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
5 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups pearl onions peeled (300g)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms quartered (225g)

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Season well on all sides with salt and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven, cook the pancetta over medium heat until rendered and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, reserving the drippings in the pot.
Place the chicken pieces skin-side down and cook until the skin is brown and easily released from the pot, about 8 minutes. Remove from the pot.
Add the carrots and onion to the pot, and cook stirring frequently until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook stirring frequently until the tomato paste darkens in color, about 3 minutes. Carefully pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen and brown bits. Add the chicken stock, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Nestle the chicken pieces back into the pot. Bring back to a simmer.
Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken is done, remove the pieces from the pot.
Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer the sauce until reduced by about a third, about 15 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon. (If the sauce is too thick, add some additional stock. If the sauce is too thin, continue simmering or stir in a teaspoon or two of flour.)
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the softened butter and flour until a paste forms. Once the sauce is reduced, stir the butter mixture into the sauce and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the pearl onions. Nestle the chicken pieces back into the sauce and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is warmed through again.
While the chicken is warming, heat the olive oil and remaining tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Scatter over the top of the chicken along with the cooked pancetta. Serve immediately garnished with thyme, if desired.

Notes

Use dark meat for succulent chicken. While Julia Child’s popular coq au vin recipe calls for a whole bird, I prefer using chicken thighs and drumsticks as they remain juicy during the long cooking time. White meat is much more prone to drying out.
Avoid cooking wine. As I mentioned earlier, red Burgundy wine is the typical choice. However, most red wines will work well. Avoid cooking wine, and instead opt for a wine you enjoy drinking as it will make a rich sauce with much better flavor. It doesn’t need to be an expensive bottle!
Blanch pearl onions to make them easy to peel. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and carefully add the pearl onions. Boil for about 2 minutes before transferring the pearl onions to an ice bath. Then, cut off the root end of the onions. The onion should pop right out of the peel if you squeeze the stem end.
Use frozen pearl onions instead. If you don’t want the hassle of peeling fresh pearl onions, use frozen ones that have already been peeled. Measure them while frozen and let them thaw before adding them to the sauce.
Make coq au vin a day in advance. Like beef stew (and pretty much all other kinds of stew), this dish tastes even better the next day. The flavors meld beautifully overnight, so if you’re able to, cook this dish a night in advance.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 962kcal (48%) Carbohydrates 37g (12%) Protein 44g (88%) Fat 57g (88%) Saturated Fat 21g (105%) Polyunsaturated Fat 9g Monounsaturated Fat 23g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 240mg (80%) Sodium 784mg (33%) Potassium 1470mg (42%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 14g (28%) Vitamin A 8444IU (169%) Vitamin C 21mg (23%) Calcium 109mg (11%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4to 6 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 962 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	962kcal	48%
Carbohydrates	37g	12%
Protein	44g	88%
Fat	57g	88%
Saturated Fat	21g	105%
Polyunsaturated Fat	9g	53%
Monounsaturated Fat	23g	115%
Trans Fat	1g	50%
Cholesterol	240mg	80%
Sodium	784mg	33%
Potassium	1470mg	31%
Fiber	5g	20%
Sugar	14g	28%
Vitamin A	8444IU	169%
Vitamin C	21mg	23%
Calcium	109mg	11%
Iron	4mg	22%