Description
A classic French dish, Coq au Vin is a hearty chicken stew cooked in red wine, bacon, and mushrooms. This recipe yields tender chicken with a rich, flavorful sauce that is perfect for serving over mashed potatoes or pasta.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Red Wine Chicken Marinade:
- 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on (~220g / 7 oz each)
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 16 pearl onions or picking onions
- 1 bay leaf, fresh (dry also ok)
- 3 thyme sprigs (sub 1 tsp dried thyme)
- 750 ml / 3 cups pinot noir red wine, or other dry red wine
Browning Chicken:
- 3 - 4 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Coq au Vin Stew:
- 400g white mushrooms, halved
- 150g bacon piece, cut into batons
- 60g unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 7 tbsp flour, plain / all purpose
- 750 ml beef stock, low sodium
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Garnish and serving:
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- Mashed potato (or tagliatelle)
Instructions
- Marinate chicken: Place the Chicken Marinade ingredients in a large glass or ceramic bowl or dish. Marinate overnight in the fridge (minimum 12 hours, maximum 24 hours).
- Strain wine into a bowl. Reserve herbs and wine. Separate the chicken and onion.
- Dry chicken: Spread chicken out on a try lined with paper towels, then pat dry with paper towels.
- Reduce wine: Pour red wine into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer vigorously, skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface, until reduced by half. Set aside.
- Brown chicken and vegetables:
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan).
- Season chicken: Sprinkle chicken with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
- Brown chicken: Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large, heavy-based, oven-proof pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs skin side down and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until nicely browned. Flip thighs and cook the other side for another minute. Remove to a tray. Brown drumsticks on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Fry bacon: Cook bacon for 3 minutes until golden. Add to tray with chicken.
- Sauté mushrooms: Cook mushrooms for 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove into a separate bowl.
- Sauté onion: Cook onions for 5 minutes or until there are nice golden patches.
- Butter and flour: Add butter into pot. Once melted, add garlic and cook for a further 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add wine and stock: Slowly pour in beef stock while stirring. Then add the reduced wine and mix until flour mixture is dissolved and mostly lump-free.
- Add everything back in: Add chicken, bacon, mushroom, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper into the pot, then stir.
- SLOW-COOK:
- Oven 45 minutes: Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven for 45 minutes.
- Adjust salt if needed.
- Leave overnight (recommended): Reheat gently before serving.
Notes
- Chicken pieces – Bone in, skin on pieces are best for tender results.
- Pearl onions – Substitute with pickling onions or regular onions.
- Pinot Noir is the traditional wine used, but any dry red wine works.
- Quality wine is not necessary; value wine is suitable.
- Mushrooms – White mushrooms are traditional.
- Bacon – Use chunky batons for better presentation.
- Beef stock gives a rich color and depth of flavor.
- Don’t worry about flour lumps; they will dissolve during cooking.
- Chicken should be tender but not falling apart after cooking.
- Leaving stew overnight enhances flavors.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 977 cal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 2288 mg
- Fat: 54 g
- Saturated Fat: 25 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 59 g
- Cholesterol: 278 mg
