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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.
This recipe looks delicious! I’d like to try making it tonight. I was hoping to make a big batch and freeze it. Do you think this recipe will freeze well? I’m worried about the sauce separating.
This recipe freezes beautifully, Loredana. The sauce doesn’t separate as there is no cream in it. Have no fear! 🙂
Delicious. I tried and liked your Beef Stroganoff recipe as well. Do you have a good recipe for perok or burek? I would like to surprise my wife with something from her childhood.
Thanks, Joshua, I am so glad you liked those recipes. Unfortunately I don’t have what you are looking for on the blog…one day! Meanwhile you can browse the Russian section of the blog and see if you can find anything your wife might like!https://vikalinka.com/category/recipes/russian/
I love tbis recipe, but the chicken could of cooked more and it didn’t thicken , I think the oven has to b hotter
Hi Jean if you feel like your chicken could be cooked more, there is no harm in keeping it in the oven longer. Oven temperatures vary and most oven are not actually very accurate. I have an internal oven thermometer to monitor temperature in mine. The lower temperature in this recipe is given to accommodate slow cooking. Also, I would like to say that French sauces are not very thick. If you Google images for classic coq au vin, you will see that the sauce is only slightly thicker than a broth but is not like a gravy. If you like yours thicker, you can add more flour but it is simply not the classic recipe.
I know mushrooms are featured in tis dish. Been planning on making it, but just now learned that a guest has a mushroom allergy 🙁 . Is there any reasonable substitute for the mushrooms?! Thanks!
Janice I would cook the mushrooms separately and let other non-allergic guests serve themselves or simply omit altogether.
I do not have as much sauce as your photo. Should I add more wine?
You can do that or you can add more chicken stock and perhaps lower the heat next time. I hope this helps, Laura.
Looks like you sautéed your mushrooms before adding…my pot doesn’t look anything like your picture and I followed to a tee. Hoping it tastes good anyway. It’s in the oven for the last 15 min. : )
Hi Lynne I usually don’t modify recipes for my photos. I use brown chestnut mushrooms and it looks like they also picked up some colour from the heat of the oven. I hope it tastes good as well. 🙂
The body of the website with the pictures says to put in the oven for 40 minutes before adding sauce, but the condensed recipe says 55 minutes. Which would be better to use?
Hi Joanna, the recipe has been updated, so the recipe card has the most current version. That being said I would keep an eye on it since oven temperatures vary. It can be done in 40 minutes, it’s entirely up to you.
I presume this recipe also works in a crockpot if ingredients are browned off first?? Also, have you ever used chicken breasts instead? My family doesn’t like dark chicken meat.
Hi Carole, here is the recipe for Instant Pot. It works similarly in a slow cooker. I used skinless boneless chicken thighs. I personally don’t like making Coq au Vin with chicken breasts but many readers have done it and liked it.
I messed up and got boneless skinless thighs and bone in skin on drumsticks. Can I still cook them together?
You should be fine, Dana, it’s boneless chicken breast that would be a problem as it will dry out if it’s cooked as long as bone-in chicken.
To hot to make this now but will definitely try it in the fall/winter. Could you saute’ the mushrooms before adding them?? I like them caramelized.
You can absolutely do that Jenny if you prefer!
Making this for dinner tonight. …can’t wait!
Do you think this would freeze well.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards, Laura
It does freeze well, Laura. When you reheat it, you might want to add a bit of water. Enjoy!
omg this is absolutely delicious! I couldnt believe how good it tasted it and I that it was cooked by my clumsy hands and not in a restaurant! I had to just add a bit of water with the mushrooms as I was afraid the sauce had thickened already enough . It looks so impressive and elegant, I wanna cook it for friends! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it!! It’s such an easy recipe!