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This classic coq au vin recipe is what it says. It’s classic. Chicken pieces browned until golden, then slowly braised in red wine with carrots, onions and mushrooms. It’s absolutely divine!
Serve this chicken with a side of Herb and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. And this French inspired Spinach Apple Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese for a starter.
The sight of snow and a definite chill in the air makes me want to spend the day smelling the incredible aroma of coq au vin simmering away in my oven. Cold days are made for cozy and comforting stews. Don’t you think?
The recipe for chicken slowly braised in red wine is truly outstanding. No special culinary training is required to ace this French classic. It takes very little effort and is the definition of rustic food.
If chicken is not your first choice of meat, take a look at my Beef Bourguignon recipe. Similar flavours and equally as iconic in the French cuisine as Coq au Vin.
I prefer making it in a deep cast iron pan but if you want to make life even easier, take a look at my Instant Pot Coq au Vin. It’s done in half the time the traditional recipe takes.
Is Coq au Vin difficult to cook?
I am usually on the lookout for the recipes that are tasty yet simple. This Coq Au Vin (French for “Chicken in Wine”) is one of those dishes. It is good enough to serve for a fancy dinner yet doesn’t require much hands-on time.
It could be cooked a few hours in advance, and then reheated quickly right before dinner. This way you can relax, make yourself look pretty and avoid greeting your guests red-faced and sweaty.
French cuisine is so impressive for its ability to be sophisticated, deeply satisfying and comforting at the same time. I have made Coq Au Vin numerous times. It’s a consistent crowd pleaser that doesn’t get old.
Ingredients
The rich taste in this wonderful dish comes from the quality ingredients and a few spices artfully put together.
Here is what you will need:
- Chicken thighs and legs. I prefer using chicken pieces with skin and bones but skinless, boneless will also work.
- Mushrooms, carrots and onions for your vegetables.
- Thyme and garlic for spices.
- Red wine and chicken stock for braising liquids.
- Finally, flour and butter for thickening the sauce and adding extra flavour.
What wine to use
You can guess from the name that wine is one of the main ingredients, alongside chicken. I am sure you have heard it before but I will say it again – only use wine that is good enough to drink.
I have tried this dish with a bottle of homemade wine and I thought it tasted fine. Good but not memorable enough to make it my “dinner special”.
It took me a few years before I came back to this recipe, cooking this time with a decent bottle of wine. That time I saw the magic of Coq Au Vin, the quality that stood the test of time and kept this dish on people’s tables for generations.
Traditionally Burgundy wines are used in this recipe but don’t stress yourself if you can’t source a bottle. My favourite wines to use are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot. Medium-bodied wines work best as they won’t overpower the dish, and nothing too sweet.
In the Alsace region of France, this dish is made with Riesling and is called Coq au Vin blanc.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- This recipe is cooked in the oven at lower temperature than usual, 120C/250F. The temperature is adjusted to allow for a longer cooking time.
- I used bacon lardons, which are less smoky and fatty than bacon, for this recipe as they are more authentic but feel free to use regular bacon or pancetta.
- Chicken thighs and legs are ideal for this recipe, although skinless, boneless chicken thighs can be used as well. Avoid using chicken breasts. They lack the succulence of the other cuts and tend to become stringy, not tender, when cooked for a longer period of time.
- Browning chicken pieces before braising adds so much flavour to the overall taste of the stew. No need to cook them all the way through at this point.
- I used brandy to deglaze the pan. Once again this ingredients add flavour. You can substitute with whiskey, bourbon or the same red wine you are using later.
- The colour of your sauce will range from brown to dark purple depending on the wine you use. It will not change the taste of your dish as long as your wine quality is decent.
- Long cooking time in the oven will allow your stew to reduce and thicken naturally. However, for a thicker sauce, stir in a mix of melted butter and flour at the end.
Serving Suggestions
I heartily recommend serving a dish with a lovely, flavourful sauce like this one with something to soak up all that flavour. For that I serve coq au vin with mashed potatoes or potatoes au gratin and good crusty bread.
You’ll definitely want to compliment the dish with a glass of nice French wine. Bon Appetit!
Storage and leftovers
You can store leftovers in a refrigerator for up to 4 days in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container.
The best way to reheat leftovers is on the stovetop set to low heat, and heating in a pan with a splash of water or stock to keep the sauce loose. Cover the pan with a lid or foil to keep the coq au vin from drying out. It will take at least 15 minutes but check to make sure the meat is hot in the middle.
It is possible to freeze any leftovers for up to three months in an airtight container. Let them thaw completely before reheating.
More classic French chicken recipes
- Chicken Provencal
- Chicken Casserole a la Normande
- Chicken in Wine and Mustard Sauce
- Chicken Chasseur
Coq Au Vin, the Ultimate One Pot Dinner
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Cast iron Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 120g / 4 oz pancetta or bacon lardons, cubed
- 8-10 pieces chicken thighs and legs
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 80ml/1/4 cup brandy or whisky
- 375ml / 1½ cup red wine, your choice
- 250ml / 1 cup This is an affiliate link.chicken stock
- 8-10 sprigs thyme
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1½ tbsp flour for thickening, or use corn starch for gluten-free version
- 250g / 1/2 lbs mushrooms
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 120C/250F. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven. (A cast iron pot it's perfect if you have one.) Fry your pancetta or bacon lardons for 8-10 minutes until browned and remove them to a plate.
- Season your chicken pieces with salt and pepper and brown them in the same pot in batches to avoid overcrowding. Remove to the same plate as bacon. You are not cooking your chicken all the way through, just browning on both sides.
- Slice your onions and carrots in medium sized chunks and add them to the pot with salt and pepper, cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer stirring the whole time not allowing it to burn. Add your brandy and scrape all the burned bits to incorporate them into your sauce, now add bacon and chicken with all the juices they collected, pour in your wine, chicken stock and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid and put it in the oven for 55 minutes.
- When chicken is no longer pink mix melted butter with flour and stir in the sauce. Slice mushrooms thickly and add to the pot, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Put back in the oven with the lid off for 10-15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
Notes
- This chicken stew could be made with skinless, boneless chicken thighs but not chicken breasts. Chicken breasts tend to become stringy instead of tender when cooked for a longer period of time.
- This recipe has a longer cooking time because it is cooked in the oven at a lower temperature than usual.
- There is no need for the chicken to be cooked all the way through after browning. This step is just to add additional flavour to the stew.
- Deglazing with brandy also adds flavour. Whiskey, bourbon or red wine can also be used.
- The sauce can vary in colour from brown to dark purple depending on the wine. As long as you use a decent quality wine, this won’t negatively affect the taste of the dish. Read above for recommendations on the wine to use.
- We are giving a long time for the stew to cook in the oven, which will allow it to reduce and thicken naturally. But if you still want a thicker sauce, stir in a mix of melted butter and flour at the end.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh man- this was sooo good. I’m bummed I’m late in the game A) finally attempting this dish and B) only just now discovering your blog- you have so much stuff I want to make now! Thanks for the inspiration!
Welcome to the blog, Jenny! I am happy to hear you feel inspired here. I hope you give other recipes a try!
Can you use chicken breast instead of thighs and drumsticks?
Yes you can, Monica but I would reduce cooking time to avoid drying them out.
I don’t have a pan go from stove top to oven. Can I brown everything in a pan and then transfer to a stoneware casserole dish to put in the oven?
Absolutely, Annette!
So I would like to turn this into a stew, do you think this would work if I slow simmered in a Dutch oven over a few hours? (Not sure of the time I should do) I have two large split chicken breasts and wanted to use those whole and cook in the sauce and add cut up red potatoes and then just pull meat off the bone after simmering- do you think that would work?
Hi Michelle, yes it will, I would follow the recipe and add the potatoes at the end of step 4, then simmer for 1.5-2 hours, it should be plenty of time for the chicken to fall of the bone.
In the oven right now, Smells delicious. Only trouble is that from the red wine, my chicken and gravy look purple. Does not have the rich brown look in your pictures. Kids and husband are turned off by looks alone. Hopefully taste will win them over. Any suggestions?
Hi Colleen, what wine did you use? I don’t recall it being purple although it does look lighter at fist and should darken quite a bit as it’s being cooked in the oven. The colour in the photos is what I usually get from cooking with deep reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Let me know what the final result looks like, I am now very curious!! 🙂
Is there any way we could omit the mushrooms? are they essential? My family doesn’t care for them…or could I mince them and sauté in the beginning with the garlic? It is a texture thing
Thanks for your help!
You can absolutely omit them if you are not a fan, Victoria!
Did not look like the picture. Gravy was not the dark brown shown.
OMG… I am cooking it now and it smells delicious and plus I am enjoying the other half of the bottle of wine. It’s a win-win 🙂
Loved reading this! 🙂 One of the best features of recipes cooked with wine is the smell and, of course, the wine leftovers! Enjoy, Lia!
Looks yummy! We’re thinking about making this for xmas for a large group (16-20 people)… Do you think it’s a suitable dish to prepare in advance? Potentially freeze it in batches? Surely it’ll lose some of the crisp but don’t know how else to manage…
I have made it for a party in the past but have never tried to freeze it., Charly. What I would recommend is to freeze it in batches as you’d mentioned and reheat it in the oven with the skin exposed to get the crispiness back.