Easy Coq Au Vin
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Truly the most amazing braised chicken (so tender, literally falling off the bone!) served in a heavenly red wine sauce!
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reasons to make coq au vin
- Weeknight-friendly version
- Also great for date-night or a fancy night in
- Cozy, winter meal
- Fall-off-the-bone chicken braised to perfection
- Everything (chicken, mushrooms and carrots) is infused with the heavenly red wine sauce
- Crispy bacon pieces, an added bonus
- Pairs beautifully with mashed potatoes and crusty bread for sopping
- Leftovers taste even better
what is coq au vin
Coq au vin, originating in Dijon in the Burgundy region, is a classic French stew made with chicken, mushrooms and vegetables, braised in a red wine sauce. Coq au vin is often served over buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes and crusty bread.
tips and tricks for success
- Patience. Making coq au vin is a labor of love. Do not try to rush the process and increase the heat for faster results. Low and slow is the name of the game here.
- Use a heavy pot. A heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, is ideal here for slow cooking and even heat distribution. A tight fitting lid also traps all the lovely moisture inside, yielding the juiciest chicken.
- Use your favorite parts of the chicken. This recipe uses chicken thighs but a combination of white and dark meat will also work very well here.
- Sear the meat. Searing the chicken over medium high heat will add all the extra, deeper flavors here, sealing all the juices inside.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry red wine (cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir or merlot) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Leftovers are even better. Similar to lasagna, coq au vin tastes even better with time, giving the flavors a chance to meld and intensify even more.
- Reheat over low heat. Skim and discard any fat off the surface, reheating over low heat on the stovetop until warmed through.
what to serve with coq au vin
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Easy Coq Au Vin: Frequently Asked Questions
Mushrooms can be omitted if needed. Eggplant, zucchini, or tofu can also be substituted, if desired, as it can absorb all the good flavors and mimic the texture of mushrooms.
A red burgundy (a pinot noir) is a popular choice of wine for coq au vin. Beaujolais, cabernet sauvignon and merlot are also great options.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Leftovers can be reheated on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 20-30 minutes.
Yes! We have a recipe for that here.
Easy Coq Au Vin
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon, diced
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
- 3 shallots, quartered
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into thirds
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving excess fat in the Dutch oven.
- Season chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Working in batches, add chicken to the Dutch oven, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside. Drain excess fat, reserving 2 tablespoons in the Dutch oven.
- Add mushrooms and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned, about 5-7 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour and tomato paste until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in chicken stock, thyme and carrots. Return chicken to the Dutch oven.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, turning the chicken once or twice, until chicken has completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 175 degrees F, about 40-45 minutes.
- Stir in bacon and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
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Very good. I made this in a 12” lodge cast iron skillet the once all together and boiling, I braised on the oven for 45 minutes at 375: the chicken was great. My only complaint is you should 1/4 the mushrooms. They were chewy and had too much moisture. Saving this recipe though and thanks for sharing.
Omg, this was so good! Other than using dried instead of fresh thyme (which I ground before adding), made it exactly as written. Served over buttered egg noodles tossed with more parsley, and roasted Brussels sprouts on the side. Rave reviews.
Outstanding
My husband LOVED IT. I will make this my go to chicken thigh recipe. I goofed and forgot to put in the flour until after the wine went it but turned out great (I blended the flour with the hot liquid covered and placed the Dutch oven in the oven preheated to 350 F for 45 minutes turned out fantastic.
I’m making this tonight. The recipe is easy enough for me, a beginner, to follow. I just finished my prep of rhe ingredients and everything smells so good! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe. I’ll update after my family has it for dinner tonight!
I love this recipe and have made it a few times. I add Pimm’s to the wine, and use a mixture of beef and chicken stock for more savory flavor. You can also omit the flour and just let the sauce reduce on its own for a gluten free version ( the sauce is a little more transparent but it great either way). I love that this cooks simply on the stove top.
OMG!!! Made this tonight and absolutely is a keeper!!!! Didn’t have bacon so substituted olive oil and butter…followed everything else…..soooo good!!!!! Next time I would add more carrots but otherwise perfect!!!!! Thank you!!!
it worked and it was pretty good
Love this recipe! Regarding ‘inexpensive Burgundy’, there’s no such thing! However, any cheaper Pinot Noir or light to medium bodied dry, soft tannin red will work. I just made this using a good value Portuguese red blend from Dao and it tasted just fine. Cost about $12 Cdn or maybe about $9 US. I’ll stay out of the alcohol discussion, except to say that when something simmers this long by far most of the alcohol does cook away.
Delicious!! I will make again for sure
Can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in this recipe?
No, you won’t have any flavor. I cook all of my ingredients in a pressure cooker and then just pick the bones and skin out. Pretty easy to do.
This was excellent! My guests loved this and so did my boyfriend and me!
It was excellent but not that easy lol!!!
Delicious! Picky teenager approved!
Delicious! A hearty winter warmer, this was great with a cheesy kumara and potato mash.
I will be making this again and again. Easy to make and delicious! I made on slight change using some mild fire roasted salsa in place of the tomato paste. I had just enough left so it was a great way to use that up.
This is VERY good! Made it just as the recipe was written except I only had dried thyme. We will make this again.
Tasted just as heavenly as it smelled! I made a half batch for just two of us, and the recipe halved really well. Next time I’ll double the carrots because they absorbed the sauce in the most wonderful way.
This is sooooo delish! My husband isn’t the biggest admirer of chicken, but he raved about this one! Thank you ☺️
Fantastic recipe. It’s a little time-consuming but so worth it! I realized right before I was going to make it that I forgot to get carrots so I substituted with green bell peppers since that’s all I had on hand. It was still fantastic, but I imagine it would be so much better with the right vegetables. Will definitely be making this again!
If I don’t have a braiser would a Le Creuset work? Do the shallow sides of a braiser create better browning?
I am wondering the same thing!!
I think it would absolutely work. I have a Le Creuset braised and also the Dutch oven. I think the fact that you aren’t submerging this fully in liquid is the critical part and would work in both.
Amazing recipe! This is one of my favorites for sure. Thank you for sharing 🙂 I didn’t change a thing!!!