Coq au Vin
Coq au Vin is a classic French dish featuring chicken braised in red wine, complemented by bacon, mushrooms, and onions.
Equipment
- large glass or ceramic bowl
- oven-proof pot
- saucepan
Ingredients
Red Wine Chicken Marinade
- 4 pieces chicken thighs bone-in, skin on (~220g / 7 oz each)
- 4 pieces chicken drumsticks
- 16 pieces pearl onions or picking onions
- 1 leaf bay leaf fresh or dry
- 3 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 750 ml pinot noir red wine or other dry red wine
Browning Chicken
- 3-4 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt cooking/kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Coq au Vin Stew
- 400 g white mushrooms halved (quartered if large)
- 150 g bacon (speck) cut into 1 x 2.5cm / 0.4 x 1" batons
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 7 tablespoon flour plain / all purpose
- 750 ml beef stock low sodium, preferably homemade
- ¼ teaspoon salt cooking/kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Garnish and serving
- 2 tablespoon 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.
- Spread chicken out on a tray lined with paper towels, then pat dry with paper towels.
- 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).
- Sprinkle chicken with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Heat 3 tablespoon 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 to kiss it with a little colour. Remove to a tray.
- Remove any loose black burnt bits. Add a bit of extra oil if needed, then cook bacon for 3 minutes until golden. Add to tray with chicken.
- Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove into a separate bowl.
- Add a bit of extra oil if needed, then cook onions for 5 minutes or until there are nice golden patches.
- 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.
- While stirring, slowly pour in beef stock – this helps the flour dissolve lump-free into the stock. Then add the reduced wine and mix until flour mixture is dissolved and mostly lump-free.
- Add chicken, bacon, mushroom, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper into the pot, then stir.
Slow-Cook
- Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven for 45 minutes. Chicken will be very tender - but not 'falling apart'.
- Remove from oven, taste sauce and add salt if needed.
- If time permits, leave the stew overnight before serving because it gets better with time! Reheat gently on a low stove in a covered pot, ensuring that chicken is fully heated through. Add water if needed to loosen sauce.
- Serve over mashed potato or tagliatelle, sprinkled with fresh parsley!
Notes
Leaving stew overnight is recommended, as it enhances the flavor development.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 977kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 59gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 25gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 278mgSodium: 2288mgPotassium: 1407mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 839IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!