Coq au Vin

Prep Time:

1 hour 45 minutes

Cook Time:

25 minutes (plus overnight marinating)

Serves:

4

Coq au Vin is a classic French bistro dish of chicken slowly braised in red wine, traditionally Burgundy, with bacon lardons, pearl onions and mushrooms. The result is beautifully tender chicken in a rich, deeply flavoured sauce.

Julia Child famously helped popularise the dish among American home cooks, using a whole chicken cut into eight pieces. My version uses chicken thighs exclusively, as I find they remain much more succulent during the long, slow cooking process.

The chicken is marinated overnight with aromatic vegetables, herbs and red wine before being gently braised. A little beurre manié — a simple mixture of butter and flour — thickens the sauce and gives it a wonderfully silky finish.

Ingredients

For the marinade

8 chicken thighs
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 celery stick, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 sprigs of thyme or 1 sprig of rosemary
2 bay leaves, torn
8 black peppercorns, crushed
½ bottle of Rhône red wine (approximately 375ml)

To finish the dish

500ml chicken or vegetable stock, hot
300g button mushrooms
300g pearl onions or shallots, peeled
125g bacon lardons
60g butter, divided into two 30g portions
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp cooking oil
30g plain flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Marinate the chicken

Trim any excess skin and fat from the chicken thighs.
Place the chicken in a large bowl or non-reactive container with the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, herbs, bay leaves and crushed peppercorns. Pour over the red wine, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavours to develop.
The following day, strain the chicken and vegetables through a colander, reserving the red wine marinade. Separate the chicken pieces from the vegetables, keeping both to one side.
Pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. This will help them develop a beautifully golden colour when browned.

Cook the Coq au Vin

Heat the cooking oil in a large, heavy-based casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the bacon lardons and fry until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Add 30g of butter to the casserole, followed by the peeled pearl onions or shallots and button mushrooms. Cook gently over a low heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly coloured. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Season the chicken thighs generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Increase the heat to medium and brown the chicken thighs on both sides until golden. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan. Remove and set aside.
Add the reserved vegetables from the marinade to the casserole and cook until lightly browned, stirring to release the flavourful caramelised bits from the bottom of the pan.
Return the chicken to the casserole and pour in the reserved red wine marinade. Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil and allow the wine to reduce by half, concentrating its flavour.
Add the hot chicken or vegetable stock and tomato purée, stirring gently to combine.
Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for approximately 1 hour, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and beautifully tender.
Meanwhile, prepare the beurre manié by mixing the remaining 30g of softened butter with the flour to form a smooth paste. Once the chicken is cooked, whisk small amounts of the paste into the simmering sauce until it reaches your desired consistency. Allow to simmer for a further few minutes to cook out the flour.
Return the cooked pearl onions or shallots, mushrooms and crispy bacon lardons to the casserole. Simmer gently for another 2–3 minutes until everything is heated through and coated in the rich red wine sauce.
Check the seasoning, adding a little more salt or freshly ground black pepper if needed.

To serve

Serve the Coq au Vin piping hot with your favourite potatoes. Creamy mashed potatoes, buttery new potatoes or a classic French gratin dauphinois all make wonderful accompaniments, particularly for soaking up the rich red wine sauce.

For an authentic French bistro experience, serve straight from the casserole dish at the table.

Cook with Andy

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