Classic French Coq Au Vin Recipe (Chicken Cooked In Wine)

Learn how to make this classic French recipe for coq au vin that is slow-cooked with vegetables and mushrooms in a delicious wine broth.

Coq au vin translates from French to English as a rooster in wine. While roosters are a little hard to find in America, the female hen is most often used in this recipe here. The process of this recipe is marinated and seared chicken that is then braised with vegetables in wine and stock.

This recipe isn’t all that difficult to do and if you are interested in the culinary arts, you will hone your skills since it requires chicken fabrication, pan-searing, cutting and chopping, and braising.

Ingredients for this recipe:

For the Marinade:

• 2 roughly chopped stalks of celery
• 2 peeled and roughly chopped carrots
• 3 smashed garlic cloves
• 1 peeled and roughly chopped yellow onion
• 1 fabricated whole chicken
• 2 cups red wine
• ¼ cup cognac
• ½ cup olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

For the Chicken:

• 6 strips chopped thick-cut bacon
• 1 peeled small diced yellow onion
• 4 peeled thickly sliced carrots
• 2 finely minced garlic cloves
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 leek, peeled
• 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
• 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups red wine
• 5 cups beef or chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups button mushrooms, sliced in half
• 1 cup peeled pearl onions
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Serves 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Marinate Time: 12 hours

Cook Time: 2 hours

Procedures:

1. For the Marinade: Place the celery, carrots, garlic, onions, chicken, red wine, cognac, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a plastic zip bag and mix until all of the ingredients are combined, and the chicken is completely coated in the marinade. Place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-6 hours.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade, discard the marinade, and season the chicken lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. For the Chicken: Add the bacon to a large Dutch Oven Pot over medium-high heat and cook until crisp and browned.
4. Set the cooked bacon lardons aside and then add in the chicken and sear until golden brown, about 4-6 minutes per side.
5. Set the chicken aside, remove ½ of the oil in the pot and then quickly sauté the carrots, onions, and garlic quickly for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour until combined to make a roux.
6. Pour in the wine and add in the leek, parsley, and thyme bouquet garni (watch video), the stock, salt, and pepper, and the pan-seared chicken.
7. Add on the lid and cook over low heat for about 90 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and tender.
8. With about 15 minutes left in the cooking process add the olive oil to a large sauté pan over high heat and add in the mushrooms and pearl onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or until lightly caramelized.
9. Transfer the mushrooms and pearl onions to the coq au vin pot and mix in.
10. Serve hot.

Chef Notes:

Make-Ahead: While this recipe is fantastic as soon as it’s done, you can make this recipe up to 1 day ahead of time by reheating before serving.

How to Reheat: Plate the coq au vin in a pot with a lid and cook over low heat until hot, about 20 minutes.

How to Store: Place covered in a refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating.

You can use thick-cut bacon or regular cut if you’d prefer.

Celery is also a great addition when braising the chicken.

Other herbs you can use in your bouquet garni are rosemary or chervil.

You may use just chicken breasts, thighs, drums, or any combination of each of these.

When searing the chicken you may have to do it in batches if your pot is not big enough.

[MD-mdth]

I followed your method and it came out fantastic! The only thing I would change is using the marinade. Yes, you can use it. Use 3 cups of wine. After marinating overnight, strain it from the bag into a sauce pan. Bring it to a good boil and reduce to the 2 cups, using a mini-sieve to skim off any fat-scum that appears. When that marinade cools a bit it will look as pristine as the original wine. It will be infused with the flavor from the veggies and herbs, and it will be safe.

[leahd]

This is a fantastic recipe. I have made it 3 times now. So delicious and freezes well. Thanks.

[xruin]

I must say, your ability to convey so much information in such a short video makes it not only educational but so easy to digest ( no pun intended here ). Thanks for the amazing recipe. All the Best!

[toddduncan]

Thanks for the pearl onion tip! Now I know!!

[danielz]

You are a very good teacher. Few have this skill. Good on YOU!

[TheGambaGeek]

I just bought my first Dutch oven ever and this is the first dish I‘ll make in it! <3 Going to the market now to buy the ingredients, wish me luck!

[HLotfi-fxkc]

the first amirican cook who inspires me with his fantastic recipes. the recipes are European but he has his authentic way of cooking. loud and clear!
love from Morocco

[MilesLink]

I just made this dish because of your video and it was amazing! This is definitely helping during quarantine

[ludan]

Followed the recipe, very delicious! Make us feel like in France.

[michaelvacca]

I absolutely love you Chef. You encourage me to cook. Love your spirit👍🏼❤️

[daveybearful]

This is my signature dish.I do it for dinner parties.I live in the UK & use Delia Smiths version recipe.But yours is good too especially like the idea of marinating over night…

[anndaniels]

Thank you so much for that onion trick!

[electionevie]

I made this. I will cry when I take the marinade out to the trash, I loved this! I sautéed the pedal and shroom with cognac that I set aflame! I would have triple the carrots in the the Dutch Oven, and I did add two stalks of celery into he Dutch oven(not marinade.) I did not use plastic bag as my would not have fit in the gallon freezer bag..it was do delicious.thank you. Great first try made some potatoes, passed through food mill with heavy cream, butter a salt. Um yum.

[christ-r]

Well this beauty is on the stove for the New Year
Happy 2024 and thank you for the recipe ❤

[yolandavaldez]

Mr.P I will need to do study this recipe but I love it and I am going to make it thank you so much I’m going too share your and your recipe with my sister-in- law I know she would love your recipe thank you may God Bless 🙏

[IngridBlackburn]

That peel the pearl onions trick just blew my mind!! I've been around a while...how have i never heard that! Brilliant...totally making this dish. Great video. 😘😘🎨

[bodiddlymitchell]

Thank you for the info on pearly onions!

[sithjawa]

Definitely going to give this one a go, then finish it with your Key Lime Pie. Thank you Chef.

[debrariley]

Another great clear, concise video. I love the NO over music.. I always think if I want music I will listen to Spotify. I want to watch listen and learn. Great video. Thanks

[armandosautodetailingllcak]

Thanks so much Chef Billy for all your great video's.
Falls Church Virginia