Traditional Coq au Vin
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This is my version of Julia Child’s traditional coq au vin — chicken braised low and slow in red wine until the meat is falling off the bone, the sauce has reduced to a deeply flavored gloss, and the whole kitchen smells like a French bistro. Serve it over egg noodles, polenta or roasted potatoes.
What gets me every time about this recipe is the combination of ingredients — the sweet depth of caramelized pearl onions, the earthiness of mushrooms that have absorbed all the wine, the way the sauce clings to the chicken. Julia’s recipe strips the dish down to these essentials, and nothing is missing.
Why this recipe works
- Bone-in chicken parts: The bones release gelatin into the braising liquid as the chicken cooks — it’s the main reason the sauce has body without needing a thickener beyond a mixture of flour and butter (beurre manié).
- The red wine: Skip the Cabernet Sauvignon — it has more tannins that become harsh when reduced. A softer red like Côtes du Rhône, Syrah, or Pinot Noir is what gives the sauce a smooth, savory depth.
- No carrots, no celery: Julia’s recipe keeps the flavor focused on chicken, wine, mushrooms, and sweet onions — and the sauce reflects that simplicity.
I tested this recipe with Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking open on the counter the whole time. Her version is deliberately spare, and I followed her lead. The flavor comes from the chicken, the wine, the mushrooms, and those small sweet onions. Every other coq au vin you’ve seen with a full vegetable mirepoix is a different dish.
Three ingredients worth getting right
- Chicken: Coq au vin is a braise — the chicken cooks covered in liquid over low heat, which breaks down the collagen in the bones and connective tissue into gelatin, giving the sauce its body and the meat its falling-apart texture. A whole cut-up bird is traditional, but I prefer thighs and legs — breast meat tends to dry out and toughen before the sauce has had time to develop. Either way, keep the bones in!
- Pancetta or bacon: The rendered fat is what you sear the chicken in, so it lays a foundation and threads into every layer. Smoked bacon will hijack and overwhelm the other flavors — use unsmoked.
- Red wine: Use a wine you’d actually drink. Safe bets are soft, full-bodied reds like Côtes du Rhône, Syrah, or Pinot Noir. Cabernet Sauvignon tends to turn harsh and tannic once it reduces, so I would skip it for this dish. Two cups of wine sounds like a lot, but that’s exactly what cooks down into the concentrated sauce you’re after.
How to cook coq au vin
Coq au vin cooks in stages — sear, braise, reduce, finish — but none of them are difficult. Budget about 1 hour 40 minutes start to finish, and plan to make it on a weekend or ahead of a dinner party when you’re not watching the clock.
1. Cut pancetta or unsmoked bacon into ½-inch pieces so it renders evenly rather than steaming. 2. Cook until the fat is fully rendered and the pieces are crisp. That deeply browned fat is what you sear the chicken in — it’s the flavor base for the sauce.
3. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom — that’s concentrated flavor you don’t want to leave behind. Add the broth, tomato paste, and herbs, then bring to a simmer. 
4. Nestle the chicken back in, cover, and keep the heat low enough that the sauce barely bubbles. A hard boil will toughen the meat.
5. Beurre manié — equal parts softened butter and flour worked into a paste — is the French technique for finishing a braise sauce. It thickens without the floury taste you get from a slurry. 
6. Remove the chicken and stir the beurre manié directly into the simmering sauce. Watch for it to shift into a texture that coats the back of a spoon. 
7. Cook the mushrooms and onions separately so they release their liquid and develop color before going into the braise. Return the chicken, mushrooms, and onions to the braising pan and turn everything to coat in the sauce.
What to serve with coq au vin
The wine-dark sauce needs something to soak into — egg noodles or wide pasta like pappardelle are my favorite landing pad. If you want to go the French route, try my buttery potato galette or garlic roasted potatoes — both hold up well with a braise this rich.
Traditional Coq au Vin
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken parts (6-8 pieces), breasts, legs and thighs or a combination
- 2-½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 ounces chopped pancetta or unsmoked bacon
- 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 broth
- 1 cup peeled pearl onions, or 3 shallots cut into quarters
- 12 ounces quartered cremini or button mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Serves 4-6 people
- 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. Sprinkle the pieces evenly with 2 teaspoons of the salt.
- Heat a large saute pan or braising pan over medium heat. Add 3 ounces chopped pancetta or unsmoked bacon 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 2 cups dry, full-bodied red wine into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Stir in 2 tablespoons pressed or grated garlic, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf and ½ cup chicken broth. 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 1 cup peeled pearl onions, or 3 shallots cut into quarters Cook until the onions are slightly softened and beginning to brown. Stir in 12 ounces quartered cremini or button 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 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend 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 sauté the onions and mushrooms separately — both keep refrigerated up to 3 days ahead.
- Oven method: Instead of cooking on the stovetop, cover the pan and braise the chicken in the 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 about 1/4 cup 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 per serving
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
Professionally trained cook, cookbook author, and the person behind every recipe here. I cook the way I was trained: Start with good ingredients, understand why they work, and don’t apologize for the salt. These are the recipes I actually make, for the people I love. Read more about me here.
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Excellent recipe. Very tasty and easy
I have a french-themed book club next month and I would love to make this! What’s the easiest way to make this recipe gluten and dairy free?
Hi Nancy — Such a fun theme for book club! 💙
This recipe is very easy to make gluten and dairy-free. Use a a gluten-free flour blend instead of AP along with a vegan butter – I like this brand.
I hope it’s a hit at your French night!
Yaaaay!!! Well done! Love this!
Tried this for the first time last night. It is great.I was shocked at just how good it is. When my wife and I ate it, we both started fell in love with the dish.
William, I’m thrilled to hear that you and your wife enjoyed it, and that the recipe hit the mark for you both! Coq au Vin has a way of surprising people with just how rich and comforting it is 😊
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