Coq au Vin {Chicken in Red Wine}

Here is a very traditional dish that is perfect for the holidays, Coq au Vin {Chicken in Red Wine}!! We just made this for our first-holiday dinner party this past weekend. This is a dish that I have made quite a few times in my life. Dating back to my early years cooking and making Julia Child’s recipes. Today, I used a recipe from Alton Brown but did a lot of my own tweaks to make it just a little bit easier and yet still just as delicious! This is best made over a three-day period, with the finished recipe being allowed to sit overnight to meld the flavors. It is the perfect make-ahead meal!

We served this with roasted carrots and fluffy make-ahead mashed potatoes that I will have to share with you in a post in the near future as they are wonderful with this Coq au Vin. A lot of people serve this over buttered noodles but I prefer the mashed potatoes to sop up all that divine sauce. 

Rich in flavor and gorgeously presented, this meal is not hard to make but needs some forward thought for the best results. Meals like this though are the best for entertaining. No crazy rushing around at the last minute. Just heat and serve. 

The chicken is not dried and still intact on the bone, but oh so tender and wonderful. Pearl onions, bacon and mushrooms are added in the end when you thicken the gorgeous sauce. This is a show stopper of an entree and will garnish you rave reviews!!

The Recipe

Coq au Vin {Chicken in Red Wine}

Tara Noland

Coq au Vin is a French dish made with chicken that has been slowly braised in red wine, broth and vegetables. Then served in a delicious sauce with pearl onion, bacon and mushrooms.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs

Cuisine French

Servings 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

 

• 12 pieces of chicken bone in and skin on (thighs, legs and breasts)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 750 ml. bottle of red wine perferably French pinot noir
• 900 ml. chicken broth or enough to just about cover the chicken and vegetables
• 1- 5.5 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 medium onion quartered
• 2 stalks celery quartered
• 2 medium carrots washed, not peeled and quartered
• 5 cloves garlic crushed
• 6 sprigs thyme tied with kitchen twine
• 2 bay leaves
• 24 pearl onions
• 6 oz. thick cut bacon cut into lardons
• 8 oz. button mushroom quartered
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 3-4 Tbsp. of butter and flour mixed together for thickener

Instructions

 

• Cut breasts into 2 or 3 pieces depending on size. Salt and pepper chicken and shake them in a zipped plastic bag with the flour. In a large saute pan melt the butter and add the oil. Take the chicken pieces from the bag and gently shake off excess flour. Brown the chicken pieces on each side in batches. Place them in a large braising pot or Dutch oven. Deglaze the pan with a cup of chicken broth and pour into the pot along with the rest of chicken stock, tomato paste (I mix this with some broth to loosen it up), red wine, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic and bay leaves. Add in more wine or chicken broth to just about cover the chicken if needed. Place a lid on top and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 325F. Place the pot of chicken in and braise for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours or until the chicken is tender but still staying on the bone. Stir occasionally.
• For the pearl onions, cut off the root end and cut an "X" with your knife in the bottom. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add onions, boil for 1 min. You can then peel the skin off the onions easier or just pop them out of their skins. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium saute pan until done but not too crisp, remove and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Drain off but 2 Tbsp. of bacon fat. In the fat, fry the pearl onions until golden and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a bowl. In the same pan add the 1 Tbsp. butter and saute the mushrooms until they have given up their liquid and are nicely browned. Store the bacon, mushrooms and onions together in a covered bowl and refrigerate.
• Once the chicken is done, remove it and strain the sauce. Discard the carrots, onion, celery etc. Place the sauce in a saucepan and reduce on medium heat by 1/3, this will take about 20 to 45 min. depending on how much liquid you have. With a wire whisk, add in the butter and flour mixture, small amounts at a time (1 Tbsp.) and continue to whisk until desired thickness. You don't want it to be as thick as a gravy but still more like a sauce. Add in the pearl onions, bacon, mushrooms and chicken. Let cool and refrigerate overnight for best flavors or serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

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