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This Coq au Vin is my take on the classic French stew recipe. Hosting tender chicken braised in a rich red burgundy wine sauce with bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions.
Coq au Vin is a classic French dish and a surprisingly easy way to make an impressive and delectable chicken. Don’t be afraid of the ingredient list or instructions, when it comes down to it – it’s extremely simple! This recipe is worth every bit of effort that goes into it!
Tender chicken is braised in a gorgeous red wine sauce, featuring bits of crispy bacon, buttery cremini mushrooms and pearl onions. Full of deep, rich flavor this is a comforting stew that is exquisite enough to serve to guests, but simple enough to make on a busy weeknight.
What is coq au vin?
Coq au vin is a classic French chicken stew in which chicken is slowly braised in red wine and a hint of brandy, producing a supremely rich and deeply flavored dish that is packed with tender meat, crisp bits of bacon, mushrooms and pearl onions. Are you drooling yet? I know I am, lets get started!
Ingredients
Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
- Olive Oil – Substitute with canola, vegetable, sunflower, safflower or avocado oil.
- Bacon – Sliced into small pieces.
- Chicken – You want chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on!
- Salt & Pepper – To taste.
- Onion – Medium onion, chopped.
- Carrots – Cut into 1/2″ pieces.
- Garlic – Fresh is best! Minced.
- Cognac – Use your preference.
- Tomato Paste – Tomato paste adds nuance and body to the stew.
- Wine – You’ll need a red wine, preferably Burgundy or Pinot Noir.
- Chicken Broth – Feel free to use store bought or you can make your own using my instant pot chicken stock recipe!
- Thyme – Fresh thyme.
- Bay Leaves – To enhance the flavor of the dish.
- Butter – I used unsalted, softened.
- Pearl Onions – For added flavor to the dish.
- Mushrooms – I used sliced cremini mushrooms.
- Flour – I used all purpose to thicken up the sauce.
How to make coq au vin
To start:
- Cook Bacon: Add the olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon, and cook until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Cook Chicken: Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and place the chicken, skin down, in the pot. Cook until the skin is crisped and golden brown, remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.
Next Up:
- Add Ingredients: Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion softens. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before pouring in the cognac. Cook for 1 minute, then stir in the tomato paste. Continue cooking for another 30 seconds, then stir in the red wine, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Cook: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the pot and nestle it into the liquid. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cook Onions and Mushrooms: Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until nicely browned.
- Make Sauce: Mix the remaining butter with the flour to create a paste. Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside. Whisk the flour/butter mixture into the sauce and increase heat to medium-high. Whisk until it has thickened. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms to the pot and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Finishing touches:
- *Optional Broil: While the sauce simmers, place the chicken, skin-side-up, on a baking sheet. Broil for 2-5 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Finish & Serve: Add the chicken and bacon back to the pot and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Choosing the right wine
A typical, authentic coq au vin is always made with a red Burgundy wine (essentially just a way of saying good quality Pinot Noir).
Wine can get confusing, trust me! Pinot Noir is both the name of a grape, and the wines made from this grape! Burgundy is the name of a wine region in France, and refers to the wines made from this region.
In short, if you stick to a pinot noir – you’ll be golden.
Serving suggestions
Coq au vin is especially delicious when it is served with something starchy that can soak up all the goodness in that red wine sauce! My favorite options would be potatoes — either mashed or roasted, and a nice crusty bread.
Some other great options to try would be:
- Rice or Cauliflower Rice
- Couscous
- Egg noodles
- Mashed Cauliflower
How to store leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you want to keep your leftovers longer, freeze them!
Freezing
Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheating
To reheat, place back on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven (300F) in an oven safe dish and cook until heated through.
You can also add a little chicken broth to help thin the sauce a bit (it tends to thicken up in the fridge).
Check out more great dinner recipes from my kitchen:
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Honey Garlic Pork Chops
- Instant Pot Beef Burgundy
- Roast Leg of Lamb
- Marry Me Chicken
- Salisbury Steak
- Pork Loin Roast
- Beef Bourguignon
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Roasted Pepper and Asiago Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 slices bacon sliced into 1" pieces
- 8 chicken thighs bone-in and skin on
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 large carrots cut into 1/2" pieces
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon cognac
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups red wine preferably Burgundy or Pinot Noir
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup butter unsalted, softened
- 6 ounce pearl onions
- 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms sliced
- 2 tablespoon flour all purpose
Instructions
- Cook Bacon: Add the olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon, and cook until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Cook Chicken: Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and place the chicken, skin down, in the pot. Cook until the skin is crisped and golden brown, remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.
- Add Ingredients: Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion softens. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before pouring in the cognac. Cook for 1 minute, then stir in the tomato paste. Continue cooking for another 30 seconds, then stir in the red wine, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Cook: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the pot and nestle it into the liquid. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cook Onions and Mushrooms: Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until nicely browned.
- Make Sauce: Mix the remaining butter with the flour to create a paste. Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside. Whisk the flour/butter mixture into the sauce and increase heat to medium-high. Whisk until it has thickened. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms to the pot and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Optional Broil: While the sauce simmers, place the chicken, skin-side-up, on a baking sheet. Broil for 2-5 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Finish & Serve: Add the chicken and bacon back to the pot and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Tips & Notes:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you want to keep your leftovers longer, freeze them!
- Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
