Coq au Vin

Classic and comforting coq au vin is a perfect winter meal that’s deep, rich, and hearty. It’s the perfect meal to have in rotation for cold nights.

Coq au vin is the epitome of classic comfort.

Chicken marinated in red wine and stewed with hearty vegetables in a thick sauce makes for the perfect winter dinner recipe.

What is coq au vin?

Coq au vin (which translates to “rooster in wine” or” “chicken in wine”) is a classic French dish made by marinating chicken in red wine and cooking it with vegetables, mushrooms, and sometimes bacon.

This version has chicken thighs, aromatics, pearl onions, bacon, and mushrooms. I also add diced onion, parsnips, and carrots. It’s not terribly complex to make, but it requires a decent amount of prep.

How to make coq au vin

The chicken

It starts with marinating the chicken.

• Chicken: You can use a whole cut-up chicken or a mix of legs and thighs. For this version, I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
• Aromatics: I add thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and quartered shallots.
• Red wine: Traditionally, you’d use a wine from Burgundy (Vin de Bourgogne), but you can also use a dry red wine like Pinot Noir for the closest substitute. I have made coq au vin with Cabernet Sauvignon, a dry red wine with a different flavor profile than Burgundy, though it’s very delicious in this dish! Both would work depending on what’s available.

The Stew

• Pearl onions: You need to prep the pearl onions first if you’re using fresh ones that need to be peeled. The post will show you how to peel them if you’ve never done it before! Alternatively, you can use frozen pearl onions and skip peeling the little buggers completely.
• Bacon: Use thick-sliced bacon and cut it into lardons (small strips).
• Vegetables and aromatics: I use sliced mushrooms, diced onion, carrots, and parsnips. You can add other vegetables like celery, fennel, or diced turnips, depending on what you have in your pantry. I don’t think parsnips are particularly traditional, but I love them in this! You’ll also need minced garlic.
• The sauce: The sauce starts by coating the vegetables in tomato paste and flour and then adding brandy. From there, you’ll add the red wine from the marinade along with chicken broth.
• For serving: I finish the coq au vin with freshly minced parsley.

How to peel pearl onions

If using fresh pearl onions as I did, you’ll need to peel them. Fair warning: this will be the most irritating part of the recipe. You can always opt for frozen instead or skip them if you don’t feel like fussing with them.

• Step 1: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
• Step 2: Add the pearl onions. Boil for 5 minutes.
• Step 3: Transfer the onions to an ice bath with a slotted spoon. Let stand in the cold water for 5 minutes.
• Step 4: Use kitchen sheers or a paring knife to snip off the root end of the onion. Squeeze the onion from the top to pop it from the skin. If the top of the onion is particularly long and papery, snip it back a little. Continue until all the onions have been removed from the skin.

How to make the coq au vin

• Step 1: Render the fat from the lardons. Add them to a large pot and turn the heat to medium. Cook until the fat renders and the bacon becomes crispy. Transfer to a bowl, leaving the rendered bacon fat in the pot.
• Step 2: Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry. Add the chicken to the bacon fat, skin-side down, and cook without moving for 5 minutes until browned. Flip and cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, fish out and discard the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and shallots from the wine. Reserve the wine for the sauce.
• Step 3: Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and transfer them to a plate. Drain off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot.

• Step 4: Add the vegetables to the pot and sauté for 8 to 12 minutes.
• Step 5: Add the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes before adding the flour. Stir to coat the vegetables in tomato paste and flour.
• Step 6: Add the brandy and bring to a boil.
• Step 7: Add the reserved wine from the marinade along with chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Continue stirring to create a smooth sauce.
• Step 8: Add the cooked bacon and pearl onions.

• Step 9: Place the chicken on top. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
• Step 10: Remove the lid and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Finish with fresh parsley.

From there, you can serve it up! Plate the coq au vin with mashed or roasted potatoes and finish with the remaining fresh parsley.

Coq au Vin

Classic and comforting coq au vin is a perfect winter meal that's deep, rich, and hearty. It's the perfect meal to have in rotation for cold nights.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Inactive time: 5 hours hours

Total Time: 7 hours hours

Servings: 6

Calories: 630kcal

Equipment

• Large pot
• Medium pot
• Slotted spoon
• Whisk
• Kitchen shears

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on, excess skin trimmed off)
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt (plus more to taste)
• 1½ teaspoons black pepper (plus more to taste)
• 2 cups dry red wine (ideally Burgundy, or use Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 8 sprigs thyme
• 2 shallots (peeled and quartered)
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 ounces red pearl onions (see Note 1)
• 4 ounces bacon (thick-sliced, cut into lardons)
• 1 yellow onion (peeled and diced)
• ½ pound carrots (peeled and diced)
• ½ pound parsnips (peeled and diced)
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms (wiped clean and sliced)
• 4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 ounces brandy
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ cup fresh parsley (minced)

For serving:

• Mashed potatoes

Instructions

Marinate the chicken:

• Pat the chicken dry and season with 3 teaspoons kosher salt and 1½ teaspoons black pepper. Pour the red wine on top. Add the thyme sprigs, shallots, and bay leaves. Mix to coat the chicken with the wine. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.

Prepare the onions:

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pearl onions and boil for 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to an ice bath. Let stand in the ice water for 5 minutes.
• Using kitchen shears, snip off the bottom of the onion. Squeeze from the top to remove the onion from its skin. Continue until you finish peeling all the onions. Discard the skins.

Prep the chicken:

• Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate. Pat the chicken dry and set aside. Fish out and remove the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and shallots from the wine. Reserve the wine and discard the spent aromatics.

Cook the bacon:

• Place the sliced bacon in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Turn the heat to medium and cook, turning regularly, for 5 to 7 minutes, until browned and crispy. Transfer the bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.

Brown the chicken:

• Turn the heat on the bacon fat to medium. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook without moving for 5 minutes until browned. Flip and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Drain off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot.

Cook the vegetables:

• Add the diced onion, carrots, parsnips, and mushrooms to the pot. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook, turning regularly, for 8 to 12 minutes until the mushrooms deepen in color and the carrots and parsnips soften.
• Add the minced garlic and tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables in tomato paste. Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Deglaze the pot:

• Pour the brandy into the pot. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.
• Add the reserved wine from the marinade and 1 cup chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stirring to create a smooth sauce. Reduce the heat to low.

Simmer the coq au vin:

• Add the cooked bacon and pearl onions. Arrange the chicken thighs, skin-side up, on top of the broth. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
• Remove the lid and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until the broth thickens further. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat.
• Sprinkle half the minced parsley over the chicken and let stand for 5 minutes.

To serve:

• Serve the chicken and vegetables with roasted or mashed potatoes, sprinkling the remaining fresh parsley over each plate. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: If you use frozen pearl onions, you can add them straight to the sauce later in the recipe. If you use fresh pearl onions, follow the instructions in the recipe to peel them.

Nutrition

Calories: 630kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 31g | Sodium: 1468mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin C: 25mg

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