Classic Coq au Vin
Classic coq au vin is one of those quintessentially French dishes that every home cook should try at least once. Whether you’re looking to impress guests or just create a comforting Sunday dinner, this recipe will make your home kitchen feel like a French bistro.
I’ve tested and perfected this coq au vin recipe through countless renditions, I can confidently say it delivers on both flavor and technique.
The combination of tender chicken, savory mushrooms and velvety red wine sauce is a testament to the simplicity and sophistication of French cooking.
Wether you’ve made this dish before or are trying it for the first time, I’m here to guide you step-by-step, ensuring the results are nothing short of amazing.
What is Coq au Vin?
Coq au vin is one of those things that I’ve been meaning to make forever. It sounds fancy, but it’s just a French phrase basically meaning “chicken with wine.” Whenever I see it on a restaurant menu, I immediately order it. It’s soul-warming comfort food at it’s finest.
Chicken braised in red wine until it becomes melt-in-your mouth-tender, with pancetta (or bacon), mushrooms, onions and other aromatic veggies.
So what’s held me back this long from making it? The fact that almost every coq au vin recipe calls for two bottles of wine. For some reason, that just sounds daunting / extreme / expensive / excessive for one meal.
But, let’s do this. Get one of those big double-sized bottles ofhearty burgundy wine. Make coq au vin with half of the wine. Invite some friends over. Serve them a beautiful meal. Toast to your kitchen bucket list success with the rest of the wine. Repeat as necessary throughout the winter, when comfort food is needed daily.
Why you will love this Traditional Coq au Vin Recipe
- This recipes allows you to bring the authentic taste of France right to your home kitchen!
- Drawing from my culinary school experience, I’ve broken down the recipe into easy steps that any home cook can achieve.
- You can make adjustments based on the wine and vegetables you have on hand, and it’ll still turn out great!
Chicken Coq au Vin Ingredients
- pancetta – this salt-cured pork belly adds rich, salty flavor to the dish.
- whole chicken – the star of the dish! The tender meat will absorb all the wine flavor during cooking, making it super succulent.
- mushrooms – add an earthy flavor and hearty texture.
- carrots – add a touch of sweetness.
- yellow onion – adds an aromatic base flavor to the dish.
- garlic – infuses the dish with the pungent flavor that only garlic can add.
- tomato paste – adds umami to the sauce.
- wine – red wine is the key ingredient that gives coq au vin its signature flavor. More on selecting an exact variety below.
- thyme – provides herbal notes to complement the wine and chicken.
- bay leaf – adds complexity to the sauce during the cooking process.
- chicken broth – along with the wine, forms the backbone of the sauce.
- flour – thickens the sauce to a velvety consistency, helping it cling to the chicken.
- butter – combines with the flour to create a beurre manié – a French term for what is just a paste of mashed-together butter and flour that will thicken the sauce.
- pearl onions – add sweetness and a slight crunch.
- salt and pepper – enhances the flavor of the chicken and vegetables.
- parsley – a garnish that adds a fresh, vibrant touch.
Best Wine for Coq au Vin
The wine is the star of coq au vin, no question about it. A full-bodied wine such as Burgundy or Pinot Noir are the best choices here because they have deep, fruity notes, and a nice balance of acidity and richness.
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Côtes du Rhône and Beaujolais wines work well, too.
Remember that since the flavor of the wine will shine through in the dish, you should use a wine you would enjoy drinking.
How to make Coq au Vin
- PANCETTA. Cook the pancetta in a large Dutch oven until browned, then transfer it to a bowl.
- BROWN CHICKEN. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, and in batches, brown it in the pancetta drippings until deep golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- AROMATICS. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until browned, then transfer to the bowl with the pancetta. Add the carrots and yellow onion to the pot and lightly brown, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste.
- WINE. Add some of the wine to the pan and scrape any crusty bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme, bay leaf, broth, chicken and the rest of the wine and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
- FINISH. Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the chicken to a plate. Strain the cooking liquid through a strainer and put the liquid back in the pot. Mash together the flour and butter and whisk it into the cooking liquid. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thickened. Add the pearl onions, pancetta, mushrooms and chicken to the pot and simmer until everything is cooked through. Garnish with parsley.
Best Coq au Vin Recipe Home Chef Tips
- Avoid overcrowding the pan when searing the chicken. Do it in as many batches as needed to get a nice, golden brown crust on it.
- Taste the sauce at the end and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
- Coq au vin actually tastes even better the day AFTER it’s made as the flavors continue to develop. If possible, prepare it a day in advance, refrigerate, and reheat it slowly on the stovetop before serving.
What to serve with Coq au Vin
Coq au vin is traditionally served with starchy sides to soak up the rich wine sauce. Great options include:
- Crusty French bread or our Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe
- Mashed Potatoes with Heavy Cream
- Buttered egg noodles
How to store Chicken Coq au Vin
If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
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Classic Recipe for Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 4 ounces diced pancetta
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken drumsticks and thighs
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 12 ounces button mushrooms quartered
- 1 large carrot scrubbed and diced
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bottle 750 mL red wine (Burgundy or Pinot Noir recommended), divided
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups frozen pearl onions (optional)
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In large Dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat 7 to 9 minutes or until crisp, stirring frequently. Use slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to medium bowl, and leave rendered fat in pot.
- Sprinkle chicken with salt. In batches, add chicken to pot and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side or until deep golden brown. Transfer chicken to plate.
- Add mushrooms to pan; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until deeply browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with pancetta.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Add carrot and chopped yellow onion to pot. Cook 5 minutes or until onion is lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic, tomato paste and black pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add about 1 cup of wine to pan and cook 1 minute, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon.
- Stir in remaining wine. Add chicken and any accumulated juices on plate, and arrange chicken in an even layer, as much as possible. Add thyme and bay leaf; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Cover pot with lid and transfer to oven. Cook 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven; transfer chicken to plate. Strain cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl; discard solids. Put cooking liquid back in pot.
- In small bowl, mash together flour and butter with a fork (it should look like very dry cookie dough).
- Heat cooking liquid to boiling over medium-high heat; whisk in flour mixture. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but not too thick and goopy.
- Stir in pearl onions (if using), pancetta and mushrooms. Add chicken and any accumulated juices, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes or until everything is heated through. Serve garnished with parsley.
I was eating the leftovers at work and my colleague asked “What kind of meat is that purple stuff?” I explained with a simple “It’s Coq Au Vin, duh!” You making this dish has brought french cuisine to the masses. Nice job!
Thanks Nancy! I must say, this was totally worth all of the wine used! I saved all of the extra “sauce” too, so I didn’t waste any 🙂
This is on my bucket list too, Lori. And yes, one of the reasons I haven’t made it is how much wine is called for! I should just go buy a few of Gallo’s bottle and drink half of it while making this dish. Your coq au vin looks beyond delicious.
I’m so glad you used Chicken, since I don’t eat Beef and now thanks to you I can try this recipe at home 🙂 I bet the lovely veggies along with the Burgundy flavors this dish beautifully and it looks gorgeous!!
Coq au Vin is one of my favorites!! Your version looks absolutely amazing!
Thanks so much, Alida!
I had no idea that this dish was something so simple haha it sounds so fancy!
I think French words make it sound fancy, but it really is simple. A little time-consuming to make, since you cook everything in stages, but there’s nothing hard about it at all 🙂
Thank you, Conni 🙂
Thanks Beate!
I love coq au vin! And, yours looks delicious!
Thanks so much, Sarah!
Thanks so much, Anne! I kind of researched and combined the best parts of several recipes for this 🙂
Haha, Hearty Burgundy sales go through the roof as Coq au Vin craze sweeps the nation!
Haha yeah, if I ever think I’ve run out of things to cook (will never happen), I can just crack open a baking or pastries book. *shudder*
Oh, thanks so much, Jennifer. This dish ended up looking much prettier in photos than it actually did in real life. I love it when that happens!
Thanks, Cindy! I guess that’s the thing I love about cooking. We’ll probably NEVER get to do it all, but we can have fun trying.
Thanks Dorothy! We ended up having a TON of extra sauce/onions/pancetta mixture after we finished eating the chicken. I just put it in a container and threw it all in the freezer. I figured I could simmer some chicken breasts in it sometime for a weeknight meal or something. Or…maybe it’ll just get all weird in the freezer. I guess time will tell…