Coq Au Vin, the Ultimate One Pot Dinner

4.73 from 33 votes

Chicken pieces browned until golden, then slowly braised in red wine with carrots, onions and mushrooms.

Prep Time45

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Keyword: coq au vin

Servings:

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.

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.