Coq Au Vin, or chicken in wine, is a popular classic French dish made easy with crispy chicken pieces!
An easy chicken recipe with crispy chicken drumsticks, chicken thighs and bacon, this Coq au vin gets everybody talking! Serve with creamy mashed potatoes, rice or cauliflower smothered with butter, and the most delicious chicken dinner is ready on the table!
Coq Au Vin Recipe
Coq Au Vin RecipeCoq Au Vin, translated as Rooster In Wine, is traditionally made with chicken on the bone and red wine (traditionally Burgundy, but any wine could be used, with Riesling being a popular choice). Similar to a well-known Beef Bourguignon, both recipes include bacon (lardons) sautéed onions and garlic, browned meat with enough wine to cover the meat, and mushroom sautéed in butter. Slowly braised until the meat is tender on the inside, our version includes crispy skin on chicken pieces for the best flavour and incredible texture!
Pot or Dutch oven
This recipe is easiest when prepared in a Dutch oven or a heavy based pot (or casserole dish). It starts on the stove and gets finished in the oven, however you can certainly make it without an oven if needed. Normally, the longer you cook it, the richer the flavour. With this version, we managed to shave off an hour of cook time from the traditional Coq Au Vin recipe, while still getting tender and flavourful chicken.
What wine do you use for coq au vin?
Which wine to use? An authentic coq au vin is made with a red Burgundy wine, like a good quality Pinot Noir. I use Shiraz for ours and love the flavours that develop when cooked in with the flavours in the chicken juices and the stock.
Most cooks, however, are beginning to use a dry white wine for their coq au vin, and during testing, we didn’t mind using either! I’d recommend a Pinot gris or Sauvignon blanc.
Tips How To Make Coq Au Vin
- Start with frying your bacon first. When your bacon is done, keep the bacon grease in the pan to sear your chicken pieces. If your bacon has released too much oil, you can drain some of it before adding in your chicken.
- For the sake of keeping this recipe as simple as possible, we use drumsticks and thighs (bone in and skin on), but feel free to use any chicken pieces you have.
- When adding your thighs, make sure you sear them skin side down first so that the fat renders and the skin becomes a crispy, golden browned.
- Once your wine, stock and thyme has been added into the pot, you can continue cooking it on the stove over low heat until the chicken is completely cooked through, or follow the recipe below for the oven method. We have tried both versions and do prefer the oven method for the depth of flavour, however the stove top is good also.
- Mix your butter and flour into a paste with a fork or the back of a spoon. When adding it into the sauce, the paste will look lumpy like it won’t dissolve through the sauce. Keep it simmering because it will dissolve and thicken your sauce beautifully!
Sautéed mushrooms
You can leave them out if you wish, but sautéing them in a little butter while the chicken is in the oven, then adding them in at the end to simmer with the rest of the ingredients adds another dimension of flavour. You will LOVE them! If you love garlic mushrooms, add 1-2 teaspoons to the softened mushrooms in the pan! Y.U.M!
Looking for more recipes like this? Try these!
Crispy Beer Chicken with a Creamy Beer Mushroom Gravy | Beef Bourguignon | Chicken Cordon Bleu & Dijon Cream Sauce
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