Coq au Vin
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This coq au vin recipe pairs tender chicken with mushrooms and pancetta in a rich red wine sauce—it’s French comfort food at its best.
Coq au vin (literally “chicken in wine”) is a classic French stew from the Burgundy region, made with chicken slowly braised in red wine with mushrooms, onions, and pancetta until tender, with a rich, silky sauce. Traditional coq au vin recipes usually call for a whole cut-up chicken, but I use bone-in thighs because they stay especially juicy and tender during braising.
There are a few steps involved, but none of them is difficult, and each one earns its keep—from browning the chicken and mushrooms to reducing the wine and finishing the sauce with beurre manié (a paste of softened butter and flour). It’s a wonderful weekend cooking project and, like my French beef stew, even better made a day ahead. Serve it over buttered egg noodles or with crusty bread for soaking up the sauce.
“Oh my goodness, this was off-the-charts good…We are living in Paris now and I have to say this is better than any other coq au vin we’ve eaten locally. Merci beaucoup!”
What You’ll Need To Make Coq au Vin
- Chicken thighs: I use bone-in, skin-on thighs rather than a whole cut-up chicken. They stay juicy and tender during braising, and the skin adds flavor and protects the meat as it cooks.
- Pancetta: Adds savory, porky flavor. It’s readily available at the deli counter or pre-cut and packaged in the refrigerated gourmet foods section.
- Onion, garlic & carrots: Form the aromatic and vegetable base of the stew, adding sweetness and depth.
- Red wine & Cognac: Pinot Noir, or Burgundy, is the traditional choice for coq au vin, but any dry, medium-bodied red will work. No need to use anything pricey; just something you’d enjoy drinking—no supermarket cooking wine! The Cognac adds another layer of flavor and helps loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Chicken broth: Adds savory depth to the braising liquid without overpowering the wine.
- Tomato paste & balsamic vinegar: Tomato paste adds richness and body to the sauce, while a splash of balsamic adds brightness.
- Thyme & bay leaf: Give the stew its classic herbal notes.
- Cremini mushrooms: Browning them separately concentrates their flavor and helps them brown rather than steam in the stew.
- Butter & flour: Mashed together to make a beurre manié, which is stirred into the sauce at the end to thicken it and give it a silky consistency.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Coq Au Vin
Brown the pancetta and chicken: Cook the pancetta until crisp, then transfer it to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pot. Brown the chicken, skin-side down, until deeply golden. Don’t rush this step—the browned bits that build up on the bottom of the pot will add loads of flavor to the sauce.
Build and reduce the red wine sauce: Cook the onion until softened and lightly golden, then add the garlic. Deglaze with the Cognac, scraping up the flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the wine, broth, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings, then simmer uncovered to concentrate the wine and deepen the flavor of the sauce.
Braise the chicken and brown the mushrooms: Return the chicken to the pot along with the carrots and braise until tender. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms separately until nicely browned and their liquid has evaporated. Cooking them separately allows them to brown and develop flavor rather than simply simmer in the stew.
Finish the sauce: Mash the softened butter and flour together to make a smooth beurre manié. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the skin—it adds flavor and helps keep the meat moist during braising, but becomes soft as it cooks and is best discarded. Stir the beurre manié into the simmering liquid until the sauce is silky and lightly thickened.
Bring it all together: Return the chicken to the pot and simmer briefly in the finished sauce. Stir in the browned mushrooms and crisp pancetta just before serving. Serve right away, or cool and refrigerate until you’re ready to enjoy it. The stew also freezes beautifully.
Video Tutorial
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Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 oz diced pancetta (or bacon)
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 lbs/1.8 kg), trimmed of excess skin (see note)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup Cognac
- 2½ cups red wine, preferably Burgundy or Pinot Noir
- 2½ cups chicken broth
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½-in (13-mm) chunks on the bias
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large (5-qt/4.8-L) Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Season the chicken all over with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and brown half of the chicken in a single layer, skin side down, until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes (brown on the skin side only). Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
- Return the pot to the stove and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onions to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and just starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the Cognac and cook, stirring to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the Cognac has evaporated. Add the wine, chicken broth, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, thyme, bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken and any accumulated juices from the plate back to the pot, along with the carrots. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, or until the chicken and carrots are cooked through.
- While the chicken cooks, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Also while the chicken cooks: In a small bowl, mash the softened butter and flour to make a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
- Increase the heat in the Dutch oven/pot to medium and stir in three-quarters of the flour and butter paste. Gently boil until the sauce is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes; add the remaining paste if you'd like the sauce a little thicker. Fish out and discard the bay leaf.
- Using a fork and knife, pull the skin off of the chicken and discard.
- Add the chicken and any accumulated juices back to the pot and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Right before serving, stir in the browned mushrooms and pancetta. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, then serve.
Notes
- Sometimes chicken thighs have excess skin and/or fat. Before cooking, using kitchen shears, trim any skin that extends farther than the edges of the chicken thigh, and snip off any excess fat.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: Prepare the stew as directed, then cool it to room temperature before refrigerating for up to 2 days. Reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop before serving. (For best results, store the sautéed mushrooms and crispy pancetta in separate containers in the refrigerator and add before serving.) If you want to freeze the dish, transfer it to an airtight container once it has cooled and for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the stew in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Tried this tonight. Followed the recipe carefully. Was really lovely and a hit with the family. I’ve been asked to make it again. The butter and flour thing is a good technique to know. does it work generally as a thickener?
Glad your family enjoyed it! Yes, the flour/butter mixture works well as a thickener in other gravies/sauces as well.
Fantastic. Was a hit with my guests and will make again.
I made this by the recipe and served it with buttered egg noodles on girls card night to my “foodie” daughter and my 22 year old granddaughter, who’s father is a manager of a well known restaurant in our area. They took a couple of bites looked at me wide eyed and said “This is amazing, delicious, savory and the best thing you have EVER made!!”. I loved it, too! I really enjoyed making it and it was worth the time. My daughter and I love Once Upon a Chef, thanks Jennifer! My granddaughter will be getting your cook book for Christmas.
💗
This was such an amazing recipe! I followed it exactly but I did add pearl onions because I saw them at the store when shopping for the rest of the items. I boiled them unpeeled for a few minutes and then peeled and added to the pot with the carrots. Probably the best recipe I’ve ever made and will definitely be making it again!!!!
This was delicious! I didn’t have cognac so I used brandy, other than that I followed the directions to a T. My husband doesn’t like dark meat and tried it and said he would eat it because t was so good. It’s definitely company worthy!
Once you return the chicken to the pot, could it be placed in the oven to continue the rest of cooking? At what temperature, and covered or uncovered?
Hi Dianne, While technically you could, there are still a lot of steps involved after you add the chicken back to the pot so I’m not sure it makes much sense.
Hi Jenn! I am planning on making this recipe for company this week. I would like to substitute rendered duck fat for the rendered pork fat. First question, what do you think of that idea? Second question, if you like that idea, how much duck fat would I use? Looking VERY forward to trying this recipe…I’m making all the recommended sides too (mashed potato/green beans). I tell everyone about your recipes…I talk about you as if we’re old friends…and when your recipes get rave reviews (which is all the time) I give you all the credit! Thanks so much!
Hi Adria, I think using rendered duck fat should be fine and I’d suggest about 2 tablespoons. Also, so glad you like the recipes (and I appreciate you spreading the word about them)! 💗
Just made this…soooo good, and not too difficult if you have everything ready to go.
Thank you Jenn for making recipes this successful for amateur cooks like me.
My sister and her husband will have a great tomorrow!!
Hi Jenn,
I made your Coq au Vin tonight. It takes a little effort but it’s fun and the end result is so worth the time. Absolutely delicious! My husband has already told me that he wants the leftovers for dinner tomorrow night. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Amazing!