Coq au Vin, the easy classic French Chicken in wine sauce

Coq au Vin is just about as classic French as it gets. Even if you’re not a wine drinker, a nice red wine sauce makes for a succulent, sweet, tender, and juicy chicken. Plus this “almost” one pot meal is stuffed with rustic vegetables, crispy bacon, buttery mushroom, and loads of delectable sauce.

(If you’d like to skip the chatting and get the printable recipe, just scroll down and you’ll see it!)

I’ve served up my Coq au Vin here with rice, but my REAL favorite way to enjoy this dish is with my No Knead Artisan French Bread. Crunchy. crust and chewy center, grilled up in plenty of butter. Absolutely perfect for sopping up all the juices!

If you’ve never ventured into the world of cooking with wine, oh boy are you in for a treat! I’ve been afraid of cooking with wine. It’s not something I grew up with and I just wasn’t confident that I could make flavors that would taste alright with a wine sauce. The first thing I made with wine was a white wine risotto, and it blew my sock off! I’ve never looked back. A bottle of red and a bottle of white are absolute staples in my kitchen now!

Watch me cooking Coq au Vin and see how easy it is!

Cooking Notes:

You’ll find plenty of different methods to make Coq au Vin. It’s such an old peasant dish that everyone has their favorite way of making it! For example, some recipe will have you leave the bacon in the stew while it’s cooking. I prefer to reserve the bacon until just before serving so it’s nice and crisp, and I also pop in the mush rooms at the last minute so that they are super tender and not rubbery. BUT, if you want to make this a truly one pot meal, you could easily just let the bacon and mushroom cook along with everything else.

This recipe is flexible, and this is actually the first time that I have taken the time to measure out ingredients so I could write up the recipe for you. Usually I’m just eyeballing stuff and throwing it in the pot and tasting to get the seasoning right. That’s the beauty of this rustic way of cooking, you have the freedom to make it your own. Heck, I don’t even peel the carrots or pat the chicken dry with paper towel. I know, such a rebel.

Ingredients:

• 4 skin on chicken thighs
• 4 slices thick cut bacon
• 1 large onion
• 3 large carrots
• 4-8 cloves of garlic
• 1 tomato (or cherry tomatos)
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ½ bottle of red wine
• Fresh thyme
• Fresh parsley
• Butter and olive oil for sauté
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crusty Bread for serving, or mashed potatoes, or steamed rice.

Get the printable recipe!

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425°.  Slice the bacon and brown it in a dutch oven with a little olive oil (on medium to medium high heat). When the bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan, and brown the chicken thighs.  We are just looking for a light browning, they do not need to be cooked through.  

Meanwhile, rough chop the onion, carrot, and tomato, and mince the garlic cloves.  When the chicken skin is browned, remove the chicken from the pan and add all the vegetables, stirring to coat everything in all the fat!  Pour in the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the tasty browned bits into the sauce!  Add about half a bottle of red wine, and the fresh sprigs of thyme.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Allow the stew to come back up to a boil, then nestle the chicken thighs down into the juices.  Cover with a lid and put in the oven for about 75 minutes (more or less depending on the thickness of your meat).  

While the stew is in the oven, slice the mushrooms and sauté them in a tablespoon of butter until they are browned and tender.  Chop some parsley for serving. If you are serving with a side dish, now is good time to prepare it!

When the stew is done, add the crispy bacon, mushrooms, and parsley. Garnish with sprigs of thyme if you’d like!  Coq au Vin is often served with mashed potatoes, but my personal favorite way is with crispy grilled french bread, and my husband loves it over steamed rice.  It also wonderful just as a rich stew!  Enjoy!

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Need more inspiration from the Cottage Kitchen? Check out these goodies!

• Easy Artisan French Bread that anyone can make
• Creamy Thyme Chicken Galette
• Instant Pot White Bean and Bacon Soup
• Lemon Sour Cream Layer Cake
• Fig and Flax No Knead Bread