Coq au Vin Recipe
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This delectable Coq au Vin Recipe makes tender, falling off the bone chicken that will have everyone waiting in the kitchen with their plates ready to go.
Way back when, my high school offered only two foreign languages: Spanish and French. I took French. Oui! Oui! Our French teacher was very enthusiastic about the language and culture, inspiring us to get French pen pals and dive right into the culture and cuisine in any way that we could. As if that would make the language gap a bit easier. I suppose that it did somewhat, un peu.
To entice our flavor for the French cuisine, a day was chosen for each student to choose a French recipe or two, prepare it at home and bring it in for a French potluck of sorts. It was great fun! C’était vraiment super! While I struggled with subject verb agreement, I had no trouble whipping up a recipe. I chose Coq au Vin and French Onion Soup. They were both some of the very first recipes I prepared from scratch all by myself. They were both delectable dishes indeed!
Best Coq au Vin Recipe
While French Onion Soup can be found on just about any menu when dining out, Coq au Vin isn’t so common. It’s usually reserved for fancy restaurants which I don’t really understand, as it is one of the easiest dishes to prepare. It may sound fancy (because it’s French), but all that Coq au Vin means is chicken in a wine sauce. To me it’s the chicken version of a pot roast, only better. Really. Just imagine succulent, falling off the bone chicken in a savory wine sauce, with mushrooms, onion, garlic and carrots. Mouthwatering good is what it is!
You’ll only need basic ingredients for such a lovely meal, plus a Dutch oven or a large heavy-bottomed oven safe pot (with a lid), along with a few hours to let it mingle into the deliciousness that Coq au Vin is all about. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get to cooking, y’all!
More delicious chicken recipes to try:
- Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
- White Wine Tomato Braised Chicken Recipe
- Chicken Marsala Recipe
- Chicken Pot Pie
- One-Pot Paprika Chicken Thighs from Reluctant Entertainer
Coq au Vin Recipe
Coq au Vin Recipe
A savory chicken in wine sauce with mushrooms, onion, garlic and carrots.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper
- 3-4 pound whole bone-in chicken cut-up
- 3 tablespoon butter (or more olive oil)
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups chopped onion
- 1/2 pound carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325-degrees F.
- In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed oven proof pan/baking dish, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Salt and pepper chicken on both sides. Lightly dredge chicken in flour. When oil is heated, add chicken to pan; brown each piece for about 1-2 minutes each side. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add butter to pan, scraping up any bits from bottom of pan.
- Add mushroom and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add onions, carrots, garlic, thyme salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Stir in wine, chicken stock, parsley and bay leaf. Add chicken, tucking into sauce.
- Cover and transfer to oven. Cook at 325-degrees F for 2 1/2 hours.
- If sauce is not thick enough, remove chicken and cook sauce on stovetop over medium-high heat until slightly reduced and desired thickness.
Thank you for providing such a delicious and easy to prepare dinner. I was pressed for time, so instead of buying a whole chicken, I chose two large breasts, and three thighs, at about 3.5 pounds of meat. I also found a pound of sliced mushrooms, which helped speed up the prepping as well. I didn’t have any thyme on hand, so I substituted herbs du provence. What a treat to fill the house with such lovely aroma and then to finally feast upon this masterpiece! I made a mashed potato for everything to sit upon. Can you tell we loved it? New staple menu for us.
Yay, Paula! Great substitutions. I do enjoy herbs du provence. Lovely!
Could this be made in a crockpot after browning the chicken?
I’m sure it could, but I am not sure of cook time.
I just made this for the second time. Can I just say this is “shut up” good? This may be one of my favorite recipes. The only problem is that I can’t keep myself from sopping up all that juicy goodness with a thick peace of bread while I’m cleaning up the kitchen. So yummy!
I know what you mean, Tammy! That gravy is irresistible.
If you don’t cook with wine, what would you use as a substitute? TIA
While I have not tried this without the wine, you could try real cherry or grape juice.
Can coq au vin be cooked the day before and then slowly reheated?
Yes, it can. I think it is even better the next day.
Everyone loved your recipe. Will definitely be making again. I did not have thyme, so used a little rosemary. Will be picking thyme up on next shopping trip. Thank you so much for posting it. Will check out more of your recipes!
I just had an awful day at the end of a rough week and was making out my grocery list. I KNEW this had to go on it. I’ve probably made this a half dozen times now and I wanted to thank you for the recipe. This is absolutely wonderful comfort food. One of my favorite go-to’s. I’m feeling happier just thinking about Sunday dinner now.
This was delicious and very easy tp prepare. Thanks!!
Excellent and easy.
I used bone-in, skin-on thighs for more flavor and dry-out prevention.
Cooked each step in a large, deep skillet on the stovetop for about an hour and a quarter, and served it over lightly toasted baguette slices to help slurp up the sauce.
Ten thighs just disappeared with happy smiles from everyone.
An Argentine Cabernet waged it all down.
Thank you, Amy!
*that’s washed it all down.
I appreciate the efforts you people put in to share blogs on such kind of topics, it was indeed helpful. Keep Posting!
I just discovered your food blog tonight. And I just subscribed. I am super excited to try this recipe and so many other one’s I am finding on your page. OMG this makes my mouth water.
Hi Amy, I just discovered your blog and I think I’m going to really enjoy it. I even used my work email when I subscribed, which I never do. LOL However, I haven’t noticed anything recent (maybe I’ve missed it). Are you still actively posting?
Thanks,
Julie
So nice to hear from you and thank you for asking, Julie. We’ve been working on some other projects and I haven’t added new content in a while. But hoping to change that in the future.
Instead of putting it into the oven for 2-1/2 hours, could a slow cooker be used? If so, what would you recommend for temperature (low or high) and for how long?
I have not prepared this in a slow cooker so I cannot say how long it would take or on what temperature.
This recipe sounded and looks great on the website so I tried making it last weekend. It was easy to follow and tasted fantastic. I only had 2 breasts and 3 thighs like another reviewer so I modified accordingly. The chicken was moist and the mushrooms and wine added a great flavor to the dish. I will make this again and again our family loved it. Thank-you for a great easy to make and delicious recipe.
Every time I make this dish, I get rave reviews! My husband just requested it for his birthday dinner tomorrow night. The only change I’ve ever made was to add some bacon once. This dish is perfect as is though.