Classic Coq Au Vin with Red Wine
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A classic recipe for coq au vin, a simple and homey French-style stew of braised fall-apart tender chicken in a rich, tangy red wine sauce. Serve this delectable chicken with noodles, polenta or a classic potato galette recipe for the ultimate cozy dinner.
I have strong feelings about coq au vin, one of my absolute favorite super-tasty chicken recipes — and with good reason.
It’s hard to argue with melt-in-your mouth tender chicken, especially when it’s sauced-up with a velvety red wine sauce and flavorful pan juices. And those sweet caramelized onions and earthy mushrooms!
This is a dish that feels just like an autumn walk, when leaves are falling off the trees and the smell of woodsmoke is in the air. I love that mood!
- How the heck do you pronounce “Coq Au Vin”?
- Ingredient shopping list
- Red wines to use in coq au vin
- Recipe steps
- Make-ahead and storage tips
- Jump to the recipe
The whole dish cooks on the stovetop. If you have an enameled Dutch oven or a cast iron “everyday pan” this is the ideal way to use it!
While I was testing and perfecting this recipe, I had Julia Child by my side the whole time, in the form of her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Fun facts about Coq au Vin
Pronounced “coke-o-van” or “cocovan”, coq au vin literally means “chicken with wine” in French. To get technical, it’s a type of fricassee — a cooking preparation that’s part sauté and part braise.
According to Julia Child, in France a fricassee is made with either red or white wine, but red is more popular.
It’s a humble kind of dish for sure, something easy for a home cook to prepare in one pot, or as a meal you’d enjoy in a casual neighborhood bistro.
While coq au vin is not at all hard to make, it does involve a few steps and takes about an hour to cook. Save this recipe to make on a weekend or on a day when you have a bit more time than half an hour to make dinner at home.
About the ingredients
- Chicken: A whole cut-up chicken is traditional in coq au vin. However, you can use all chicken thighs, legs or breasts if you prefer a particular part.
- Pancetta or bacon: Either one is delicious, just be sure to use an unsmoked bacon so it doesn’t overwhelm the other ingredients.
- Brown mushrooms: Cremini mushrooms add a rustic touch, but white button mushrooms are fine too.
- Baby onions or shallots: It can be difficult to track down “baby” (pearl onions) in markets. Luckily, shallots do the job equally well.
- Red wine: You want a nice full-bodied red wine that’s good enough to pour into a glass and drink. See my recommendations below.
- Herbs: Fresh thyme and a dried bay leaf are all you need for cooking, plus a garnish of fresh parsley.
- Tomato paste
- Flour: I use all-purpose wheat flour to thicken the sauce, but oat flour or rice flour will do for a gluten-free option.
- Butter: Use good real butter! The secret to the lush texture of the wine sauce is a paste of flour and softened butter (beurre manié).
Julia does not include carrots or celery. In fact, her recipe is really very basic, focusing the layers of flavor on chicken, mushrooms, sweet onions and red wine sauce.
Cooking directions and steps:
Pro Tip: To get the best color on the chicken skin (which will reward you later with more flavor), start by drying the chicken pieces with a paper towel or clean tea towel, just like patting a baby dry after a bath.
1. Dice the pancetta or bacon into 1/2-inch pieces 2. Cook until crisp then sear the chicken in the fat
3. Pour the wine into the pan, which will loosen the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, then add chicken broth, tomato paste, herbs, and chicken. 
4. Put the seared chicken back in the pan. Cover the pan and simmer gently until the meat is falling-apart tender, which usually takes 40-45 minutes.
5. Make a paste with flour and butter. 
6. Remove the chicken from the pan, then stir in the flour-butter paste. Cook a few minutes, until you see the sauce start to thicken.
7. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the mushrooms and onions. Sprinkle with parsley and serve it up warm!
Best red wines for coq au vin
The rule of thumb for cooking with wine — especially when it’s a major component of the recipe — is to use wine you already enjoy drinking.
- For coq au vin, I recommend using a soft, hearty red wine made with grape varieties like syrah, pinot noir, zinfandel or sangiovese. I don’t think Cabernet Sauvignon is the best choice for this dish, because it often contains more tannins that don’t taste great in the sauce.
good value (under $15) red Wines for COQ AU VIN
- California Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot
- French Cotes du Rhone, Burgundy (pinot noir), Syrah
- Italian Chianti, Barbera D’Asti, Montepulciano
What to serve with it
- The tender chicken and rich sauce are PERFECT to serve with the best cheesy polenta, egg noodles or wide pasta like pappardelle, buttery potato galette or plain rice.
- Add a tossed green salad and you’ll have an amazing restauran-quality dish at home!
Make ahead tips:
To save time making this recipe, here are some tips to shortcut the steps.
- Cook and crisp the pancetta and keep refrigerated up 3 days ahead.
- Sauté the onions and mushrooms and keep refrigerated up 3 days ahead.
- Instead of cooking on the stovetop, braise the chicken in oven for 40-45 minutes at 325 degrees.
- Make the entire dish up to 3 days ahead. Reheat gently for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat (adding a bit of chicken stock if the sauce has thickened up).
- To freeze coq au vin, let the chicken and sauce cool completely. Portion into freezer-safe containers and freeze 1-2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Braised chicken recipes like coq au vin are ideal as leftovers. This chicken reheats well and tastes even better the following day! Serve it with the same wine you used to cook the chicken and enjoy.
Classic Coq Au Vin with Red Wine
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken parts (6-8 pieces), breasts, legs and thighs or a combination
- 2-½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 ounces pancetta or unsmoked bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups dry, full-bodied red wine, such as Cotes du Rhone, Malbec, Syrah or Pinot Noir
- 2 tablespoons pressed or grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters
- 1 cup baby onions or 3 shallots, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Serves 4-6 people
- Pat the chicken with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle the pieces evenly with 2 teaspoons of the salt.
- Heat a large saute pan or braising pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook until it's crisp and the fat is rendered (5-7 minutes). Remove from the pan and set aside. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down. Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn the pieces over and cook 5 more minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter.
- Pour the wine into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf and chicken stock. Return the chicken pieces and the pancetta to the pan.
- Turn the heat down to low and cover the pan. Cook 40-45 minutes, until the chicken is very tender when poked with a fork — peek into the pan every now and then to make sure the sauce is simmering gently and not boiling, adjusting the heat as necessary.
- While the chicken cooks, prepare the onions and mushrooms: Heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil and the onions. Cook until the onions are slightly softened and beginning to brown. Stir in the mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are softened. Set aside.
- Using tongs, transfer the chicken from the pan to a platter. Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook 10 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Blend the flour and butter with a fork to form a paste. Stir into the pan sauce and simmer until it thickens, 1-2 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pan along with mushroom mixture. Cook another minute or two, turning the pieces to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and fresh thyme leaves and serve.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Cook and crisp the pancetta and keep refrigerated up 3 days ahead.
- Sauté the onions and mushrooms and keep refrigerated up 3 days ahead.
- Instead of cooking on the stovetop, braise the chicken in oven for 40-45 minutes at 325 degrees.
- Make the entire dish up to 3 days ahead. Reheat gently for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat (adding a bit of chicken stock if the sauce has thickened up).
- To freeze coq au vin, let the chicken and sauce cool completely. Portion into freezer-safe containers and freeze 1-2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
Made coq au vin recipe. Delish!! The only changes I made was to add sliced thin carrots and a 1/4 cup brandy. Flavor was spot on. Gravy was great for dipping warmed chibatta bread. Will make again!!
This was my first time making coq au vin and it turned out amazing! Steps were clear and easy to follow. Chicken was tender and had so much flavour. I left out the pancetta/bacon because I didn’t have any and it was still great. Can’t wait to make it again with it added! I used a nice bottle of pinot noir and appreciated your recommendation against using cabernet sauvignon – that’s what I usually drink and probably would have used it.
OK — we have to add this to the list of make soon recipes! It looks wonderful!
XO