Coq au Vin Classic Dish (Printable Version)

Tender chicken cooked slowly with red wine, pearl onions, mushrooms, and smoky bacon for a rich stew.

# What You'll Need:

→ Protein & Main

01 - 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (approximately 3.3 lb)
02 - 5.3 oz smoked bacon or pancetta, diced

→ Vegetables

03 - 7 oz pearl onions, peeled
04 - 8.8 oz cremini or button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
05 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 3.2 cups dry red wine (Burgundy or Pinot Noir recommended)
08 - 1 cup chicken stock

→ Pantry & Herbs

09 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
10 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
11 - 2 tbsp olive oil
12 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
13 - 2 bay leaves
14 - 4 sprigs fresh thyme
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# Directions:

01 - Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season evenly with salt and pepper.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
03 - In the same pot, brown the chicken pieces in batches until golden on all sides. Remove and reserve.
04 - Add sliced carrots, pearl onions, and minced garlic to the pot. Sauté until lightly golden, approximately 5 minutes.
05 - Stir in tomato paste and all-purpose flour. Cook while stirring continuously for 1 minute to form a roux base.
06 - Return browned chicken and bacon to the pot. Pour in red wine and chicken stock. Add bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Scrape browned bits from the bottom to incorporate flavors.
07 - Bring mixture to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook gently for 1.5 hours or until chicken becomes tender.
08 - In a separate skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté quartered mushrooms until browned, approximately 5 minutes. Set aside.
09 - Remove the lid from the Dutch oven during the last 15 minutes of cooking to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in sautéed mushrooms and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
10 - Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Serve hot, optionally garnished with fresh parsley.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The chicken becomes impossibly tender while the sauce deepens into something rich and complex that tastes like you spent all day cooking.
  • It's a one-pot wonder that looks restaurant-worthy but asks very little of you once everything hits the heat.
  • Tastes even better the next day, so you can make it ahead and actually enjoy your guests instead of hovering over the stove.
02 -
  • Don't skip browning the chicken properly; those golden bits are where the flavor lives, and rushing this step will give you chicken that tastes like it was merely stewed rather than braised.
  • The mushrooms must be sautéed separately—if you add them to the braise from the start, they'll dissolve into the sauce and disappear, leaving you with expensive mush and a cloudy liquid.
  • Taste the sauce before serving; the saltiness depends entirely on your stock and bacon, so season gradually at the end rather than guessing at the beginning.
03 -
  • Make this a day ahead and reheat it gently; the flavors meld and deepen overnight, and you'll actually be able to enjoy your guests instead of finishing in the kitchen.
  • If your sauce ends up too thin, remove the chicken and vegetables to a serving dish, then simmer the liquid over medium-high heat until it coats a spoon—there's no shame in this save, and no one will know you adjusted it.
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