Have you tried a traditional coq au vin? This classic French chicken in red wine is full of the delicious flavours of mushrooms, shallots and bacon in a rich sauce.
Simple to make, this dish is perfect for entertaining or a special meal at home.
Serve it with mashed or roast potatoes to soak up all that lovely sauce!
Bon appètit
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Why you will love this dish
This is a recipe for pure comfort food! Rich and indulgent yet simple to make.
There's no last minute cooking either, so you can be doing something else while dinner is cooking away, then just serve - job done...
- no complicated jointing of a chicken
- reheats beautifully
- perfect for entertaining as there is no last minute fuss
What are the ingredients?
Traditionally this dish was made with a whole rooster bird cut into portions but I'm definitely breaking with traditions or this! An old male bird is full of sinews and will need long slow cooking and, unless you live in France, you won’t easily be able to buy one.
I’m not even going to use a whole chicken. It’s not difficult to cut a chicken into portions but you do end up with pieces that need differing times to cook and then you have a fight between who gets breast and who gets leg!
The way around this is to use chicken thighs, They keep the meat succulent as it’s cooked on the bone, they are economical to buy, compared to breast meat and everything will be cooked at the same time. I’ve allowed for 2 medium sized thighs per adult portion.
You will also need button mushrooms and plain white mushrooms are fine for this.
Traditionally you need small shallots for this recipe but you can use small onions instead. They do need to be quite small, so cut any large ones in half. You will also need a couple of cloves of garlic, sliced thinly.
Another ingredient is bacon. Chicken and bacon go so well together and you can really use any bacon of your choice. I’ve used smoked streaky bacon, as the fat adds loads of flavour, but you can use lardons or cubed pancetta too.
Normally a whole bottle of wine is used, as a whole chicken in portions will need a longer cooking time and more liquid will evaporate. As the chicken thighs cook quicker, you will only need half a bottle which leaves some to enjoy with dinner!
Just like beef bourguignon, this chicken casserole needs some herbs. I’ve used a couple of stalks of fresh thyme and a bay leaf for cooking and garnished with fresh parsley.
How to make a traditional coq au vin or chicken in red wine
Trim the chicken thighs of any excess skin or fat and discard.
Start by heating butter and oil over a medium heat and place the chicken thighs skin down for a few minutes until the skin turns golden brown.
Turn the thighs over and brown the other side for about a minute. I did this in two batches.
If you cram them all into one pan they end up steaming and the skin won't crisp up. It's definitely worth an extra few minutes to do it in two batches or use two pans if you have them.
Transfer the chicken to a casserole dish with a slotted spoon, skin side up.
Add the bacon pieces to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until they start to brown.
Tip in the sliced garlic and fry for one minute.
Transfer the bacon and garlic to the casserole dish and use the reserved juices to fry the onions and mushrooms for a few minutes until burnished. Add them to the casserole dish.
Strip the leaves from the thyme and chop the leaves finely. Add the chopped thyme and a bay leaf to the dish.
Add the wine to the pan to deglaze and after a couple of minutes add a slurry of cornflour and water to thicken.
Bring to the boil and then add the wine mix to the casserole dish.
Put a lid on the dish and place in the oven at 180C/350F/Gas4 for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are tender.
Bring it steaming out of the oven, garnish with some freshly chopped parsley and serve....mmm...it's so good.
Recipe FAQs
I serve this dish with steamed broccoli, roasted carrots and perfect roast potatoes. There are also many French potato dishes, which are perfect for serving with this dish.
Burgundy wine is often suggested for this recipe. However, at the risk of all my French friends shouting at me, I stick to this: only cook with a wine you would normally drink. For me, that's a good Côtes du Rhône wine.
This is one of those dishes where you can prepare all the ingredients in advance and leave in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
Once the chicken in red wine is cooked leave it to cool and refrigerate and then heat in the oven until piping hot. You could also freeze this dish in containers for up to 3 months.
Top tips
- shallots can be fiddly to peel so put them in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 5 minutes to loosen the skins
- if you don't have any fresh herbs use a teaspoon of dried thyme
More French main courses
📋 Recipe
Traditional Coq au Vin - Chicken in red wine
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 200 g button mushrooms
- 300 g shallots
- 100 g streaky bacon
- 2 cloves garlic
- 375 ml red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 tablespoon parsley
Instructions
- Start by heating butter and oil over a medium heat and place the chicken thighs skin down for a few minutes until the skin turns golden brown.
- Turn the thighs over and brown the other side for about a minute.
- Transfer the chicken to a casserole dish with a slotted spoon, skin side up.
- Add the bacon pieces to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until they start to brown.
- Tip in the sliced garlic and fry for one minute.
- Transfer the bacon and garlic to the casserole dish and use the reserved juices to fry the onions and mushrooms for a few minutes until burnished. Add them to the casserole dish.
- Strip the leaves from the thyme and chop the leaves finely. Add the chopped thyme and a bay leaf to the dish.
- Add the wine to the pan to deglaze and after a couple of minutes add a slurry of cornflour and water to thicken.
- Bring to the boil and then add the wine mix to the casserole dish.
- Put a lid on the dish and place in the oven at 180C/350F/Gas4 for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are tender.
- Check the seasoning and serve.
Notes
Top tips
- shallots can be fiddly to peel so put them in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 5 minutes to loosen the skins
- if you don't have any fresh herbs use a teaspoon of dried thyme
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Amanda
Hi David, You could certainly do it that way if you prefer.The chicken picks up all of the flavours while it's cooking, but I certainly get that cooking the bacon first may add even more flavour. Thanks, Amanda
David
Why don’t you do the bacon first and brown the chicken in the bacon fat? Just curious.
Shashi
Ive never had coq au vin before - looks incredibly comforting!
Claudia Lamascolo
Made this last night its spot on a perfect recipe!
Mahy
I did try coq au vin before but I've always wanted to try making it myself at home. I think it is time to make it happen! 🙂
Adrianne
What a great idea to use chicken thighs for this recipe! That and the bacon make it my kindof dinner, can't wait to give it a go thanks for sharing.
Bintu | Budget Delicious
Such a delicious and rich dish but something oh so comforting about it too! I love coq au vin and this looks so good!
Dannii
Now this is what I call delicious comfort food. So much flavour!
Gina
Absolutely love coq au vin this time of year, it's my favorite hearty winter comfort food and this recipe is perfect for enjoying it at home!
Eva
I've always wanted to try coq au vin so thank you for setting the right mindset in me. Too often I forget about all the recipes I want to try and then I just always end up making the same stuff over and over again. Next time I buy chicken thighs I'm cooking them in red wine. And I second you on your wine choice. A good Cotes-du-Rhone is always a good choice and having half a bottle left to enjoy with the food sounds just like my perfect dinner plan!
Claudia Lamascolo
This is a favorite recipe and its so elegant to serve and impressive to our guests I will make it often
Danielle Wolter
Just love this! Traditional coq au vin is so rich and delicious, and yours did not disappoint. It came out great!