Make some real-life magic with this Coq au Vin recipe. It features flavorful, fall-apart tender chicken bathed in a silky, luscious dark sauce. Simultaneously elegant and comforting with intricate depths that taste out-of-this-world delicious, this dish promises an unforgettable meal every time it appears at the dining table.
What Is Coq au Vin?
“Coq au Vin” literally means “rooster in wine” in French; in French cuisine, it refers to a luxurious meat stew that makes a great treat for fancy guests. Our Coq au Vin recipe keeps most of the original version, with just a few minor changes in the ingredients and cooking method to make it simpler and easier for you to follow at home.
This French chicken stew stands true to its name: Succulent pieces of chicken are braised in a deep, rich, glossy red wine sauce with bacon, mushrooms, heaps of vegetables, aromatic spices, and herbs. It's usually served over a potato mash, a bed of cooked pasta, or a simple light salad on the side.
Is This Recipe Healthy?
Yes, it is.
Chicken thighs are an excellent source of protein. As the star of this Coq au Vin, they make a nourishing, protein-packed dish that is still light in carbs and calories. With 32.5 g of protein and only 21.8 g of carbs per serving, this dish will be a hit with Keto dieters.
Our Coq au Vin has been calculated to yield about 507 calories per serving, complying with our nutritional guidelines. This decent amount of calories leaves plenty of room for an enjoyable side dish and drink.
We’ve even kept the total saturated fat and sodium within healthy limits without compromising the gravy’s luscious texture. In the end, we have a delicious and hearty meal with a sound nutritional profile:
- 8.1 g saturated fats (out of the daily recommendation 23-30 g).
- 558.9 mg sodium (out of the daily recommendation 2300 mg).
Main Ingredients
- Chicken thighs
Traditionally, Coq au Vin recipes used to call for a whole rooster, but nowadays, this dish has become more budget-friendly. You can use bone-in chicken thighs (or drumsticks) just as we did in this recipe, they guarantee as succulent and flavorful a result as the original version.
- Bacon
One of the things that makes Coq au Vin so enticing is the small scraps of bacon and their smoky, salty taste. The fats released from the bacon will be used to grease the skillet before sautéeing the veggies and combining them with the chicken broth and red wine.
- Mushrooms and carrots
If you're using large mushrooms, cut them into quarters; if they’re medium-sized, then halving is enough. Cook the mushrooms until golden and let them finish cooking in the stew later.
For the carrots, we prefer to chop them into medium cubes so they hold up well and don't turn mushy when cooked for a long time.
- Red wine
Red wine is the key flavoring in Coq au Vin. It infuses the chicken with its darkly sweet notes and provides extra richness to the sauce base.
When simmering, most of the alcohol will be cooked out and it will slowly reduce in volume as the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. By the time the chicken is cooked, you’ll have a deliciously deep and alluring stew.
If you leave the finished Coq au Vin overnight in the fridge, the wine flavor will mellow into a less intense taste. Read our “tips for cooking” section to learn more about the most suitable types of wine for Coq au Vin.
- Other ingredients for the sauce
Traditionally, Coq au Vin is thickened with butter and flour. To intensify the flavors of both the sauce and the chicken, we opt for a seasoning mix of tomato paste, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, paprika, brown gravy mix, flour, red wine, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth.
Taste the sauce as you go and adjust the amount of each to your taste if needed. The bacon already boosts the saltiness of this dish, so you should go light on the salt or omit it completely if you prefer a delicate meal.
Tips for Cooking
- How do you thicken the Coq au Vin sauce?
When the roux-thickened sauce is removed from the heat source, it will slightly reduce and thicken further as it cools so try to keep it a little thinner than you’d like it to be when serving.
If the sauce is still too watery, give it a few more minutes to simmer on low heat without the lid until it reaches the consistency that you want.
- Best wines for Coq au Vin?
Traditionally, Coq au Vin is made with a Burgundy wine like Pinot Noir. But any light or medium-bodied red wine (such as Merlot, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, or Gamay Noir Will) will do Coq au Vin a big favor.
There's no need to spend extra pennies on expensive wine, just make sure that your choice is also one that you would enjoy drinking because that's how to determine if you will like its taste. As long as it’s not too heavy and full-bodied to outshine the other gravy ingredients, you're good to go.
How to Store and Reheat the Leftover
Much like most stews, Coq au Vin becomes even more concentrated if it sits until the next day. The leftovers will last well for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Coq au Vin also freezes well, too — for up to 3 months in freezer-friendly containers or Ziploc bags. Thaw the frozen portions overnight, then on the day of serving, reheat them on the stovetop or pop them in the microwave for a few minutes until warmed through.
What to Serve With
To soak up the luscious, full-flavored sauce of this Coq au Vin, we paired it with a scoop of mashed potatoes on the side. The fluffy, creamy-smooth mash adds a fillingness to our meal and also balances the deep and complex flavors of Coq au Vin.
If you don’t feel like having potato mash with Coq au Vin, a nice crisp green salad, a bed of steamed egg noodles, or a slice of crusty bread will also make a great side dish.
Try for yourself and send us your thoughts! For more delicious, heart-warming stews to keep you company on all those cold nights, don't forget to check out our Brown Stew Chicken Recipe and Beef Stew Recipe.
Coq au Vin Recipe
With the depth of flavor from the red wine and the smoky, salty notes from the bacon perfectly balancing out the tender chicken and vegetables, this Coq au Vin is a centerpiece that will make any meal an absolute delight.
- cook TIME 1 hr 15 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 1 hr 20 mins
- COURSE Main dish
- CUISINE French
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 507 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 22 oz chicken thighs (skin-on, bone-in)
- 1 oz bacon (chopped)
- 13 oz carrots (chopped)
- 12 oz white mushrooms (chopped)
- 4 oz yellow onion (diced)
- 2 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown gravy mix
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 fl oz red wine
- 2 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp thyme (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp Hunt's tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Add 22 oz chicken thighs to a cast-iron skillet skin side down. Brown the chicken on low heat for 10 minutes in its natural fat until golden brown.
Flip the chicken and brown the other side for 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Add 1 oz chopped bacon and fry for 2 minutes on low heat.
Turn on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp minced garlic and 4 oz diced yellow onion to the skillet to sauté with the bacon for 2 minutes.
Add 12 oz chopped white mushrooms and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add 13 oz carrots and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add 1 tbsp tomato paste and stir quickly for 1 minute.
Add 1 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp paprika, and 1 tbsp brown gravy mix. Stir to combine.
Add 1 tbsp all-purpose flour and stir for 1 minute.
Add 4 fl oz red wine and 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Cook for 1 minute.
Add 2 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth and keep stirring.
Return the browned chicken thighs to the skillet. Place on high heat and bring it to a boil.
Reduce to low heat and let it braise for 45 minutes. Flip the chicken thighs once every 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Garnish Coq au Vin with 2 tbsp chopped parsley, portion out, and serve hot.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Writer, Author