Coq au Vin

Bone-in chicken is slow-braised in red wine with smoky bacon, earthy mushrooms, and sweet pearl onions until fall-off-the-bone tender. The glossy wine sauce is rich and deeply savory — a French countryside classic that tastes like a celebration.

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

1 hr 15 mins

Total time

1 hr 35 mins

Servings

4 servings

Calories

620

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 1.6kg) or 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 100 g thick-cut bacon or pancetta, diced
• 300 g button mushrooms, halved or quartered
• 150 g pearl onions, peeled (or 2 shallots, quartered)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 750 ml dry red wine (Burgundy or Pinot Noir style)
• 250 ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken pieces dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the chicken skin-side down until deeply golden, 5–6 minutes per side. Work in batches if needed, then set aside.
2. In the same pot, cook the diced bacon until crisp, about 4–5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
3. Add the mushrooms and pearl onions to the pot and sauté in the rendered fat for 6–8 minutes until golden and lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1–2 minutes to cook out the raw taste. Stir in the tomato paste until it darkens slightly.
5. Pour in the red wine, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, and thyme, then return the chicken and bacon to the pot, nestling them into the liquid.
6. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 50–60 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through (75°C/165°F internally).
7. Remove the chicken to a warm plate. If the sauce seems thin, simmer it uncovered for 10–15 minutes to thicken. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
8. Return the chicken to the sauce, spoon it over generously, garnish with parsley, and serve hot with mashed potatoes, crusty bread, or buttered noodles.

Pro tips

• Use a drinkable dry red wine — never cooking wine. A simple Pinot Noir or Burgundy-style red is perfect.
• Searing the chicken well builds the base flavor, so give each piece enough space and heat.
• Coq au vin tastes even better the next day; refrigerate overnight and reheat gently.
• If using boneless chicken, reduce the braising time to about 35–40 minutes.

Frequently asked questions