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The Best Chicken Coq Au Vin Recipe
Time for a story! This will be quick, I promise! I made this on the Saturday of Valentine’s Day - don’t worry, I will make a dinner for tonight (I’m sharing this recipe right on Valentine’s Day!). I actually didn’t know what I was going to make till the evening before! I really love Valentine’s Day, and of course I want to treat my other half to something special! While I know that anything would be greatly appreciated, I really wanted this Valentine’s Day to be a memorable one!
I think Coq au Vin is a dish that I’ve been eyeing not too long after I came to Canada. I remember picking up a magazine by Cooking Light and it was the chicken edition. Coq au Vin was featured here, and I just wanted to make that so bad! Yes, I think it’s been about 5 years or more I’ve been dreaming of preparing this dish. Why did I not make it? Well, I thought it would be hard! I know, silly me. On this platform we preach about getting out of our comfort zones and making cooking fun, and to be excited for new challenges! I’ve made Butter Chicken to Lasagna alla Bolognese to Crispy Korean Popcorn Chicken, I shouldn’t be scared of this! Public Service Announcement: If you’re ever putting off a dish because you’re scared it’s going to be “hard,” trust me, you’ll realize it’s not as tough as it is! Cross off those recipes that are on your bucket list now, and share your experience with me in the comments or reach out on social media such as my Instagram to let me know what you made and how it felt to finally make something you’ve always wanted to! The Bucket List is one of my four themes in my one-month Live to Cook challenge, which is perfect to kick off the new year! Yes, 2022 is still fresh, and if cooking at home more frequently or refining or expanding your kitchen skills was one of your resolutions, then don’t give up! The Live to Cook challenge will guide you through, along with some motivational tips I have in my Make Cooking Fun!! guide! Download both of these by clicking here!
Back to Coq au Vin! Friday night I had it in my head that yes, I’m finally going to make it! Ideally, you’d marinate the chicken overnight, and I almost took a late night stroll out to get the ingredients. Unfortunately, all of the stores were closed and the weather was bad, so I decided to just do everything properly and not rushed first thing in the morning. Even without a full night of marination, this turned out so exquisite! Trust me, you can make a wonderful Coq au Vin even if it’s impromptu, though I totally recommend you marinate overnight! This Chicken Coq au Vin made in the oven is cozy, hearty, filling, and will blow you away! I absolutely love how tender the chicken is - it falls right off the bone! The bacon is smoky and soft with still a bite, and that sauce screams for you dredge some bread or pasta in it!
If you need a dish that will show your special someone how much you love them, then this needs to be on your Valentine’s menu! Whether you’re going to make this tonight or save this in your arsenal another 365 for next Valentine’s Day (though this would be awesome for Christmas dinner or a birthday!), Coq au Vin will guarantee a memorable romantic dinner!
This recipe has got you set up for success! Follow along and check out the recipe video to make Coq au Vin on YouTube! If you’re not already subscribed to me there, I totally recommend that you do so, and don’t forget to hit the bell! By hitting the bell icon, you’ll be notified when the corresponding video goes live along with the written blog post! The video will give you a tangible idea of how to marinate the chicken, prepare all the components, bake our Coq au Vin in the oven, and serve! Let’s get cooking!
what is Chicken coq au vin?▼
Coq au Vin is a French stew made with bone-in chicken pieces, bacon, and mushrooms. Coq au Vin in French translates to “rooster in wine.” Yummers! The chicken is first marinated in red wine, onions, and thyme. The chicken pieces are braised in wine and the flavours of bacon, mushrooms, herbs, and onions is infused in there! The final product has the chicken falling CLEAN off the bone and so tender! The sauce is thick and flavourful, and the bacon and mushrooms are just so succulent! Serve with a starch of your choice and you’ve got an amazing comforting winter dish!
Why Make Chicken Coq Au Vin?
Once you give this Chicken Coq au Vin recipe, a try, you’ll totally want to make it again! Here’s why you need to make this for your special occasion:
- Rich and delicious!
- Meaty, saucy, and true comfort food
- Versatility in serving options
- It’s an exquisite dish without complicated steps
- Easy to make in large quantities, perfect for entertaining!
What Wine to Use for Chicken Coq au Vin?▼
Traditionally, Coq au Vin is made with red wine, and that’s what I used in this recipe. The wine I used is Merlot, but other options you could use include Pinot Noir, Petit Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Barbera. The red wine you want to choose shouldn’t be the grocery store cooking wine! You still want something of high quality that you’d drink it, too! The deep red wine will add the core flavour.
How to Make Chicken Coq Au Vin Gluten Free
Traditionally, the gravy is thickened with a paste made from all purpose flour, butter and olive oil. The only gluten in the entire recipe comes from the all-purpose flour. If you’re making this for someone who may have a gluten intolerance, what you can do to make this gluten-free is to make a slurry out of 1 1/2 Tbsp of cornstarch and water and add to the gravy.
Ingredients for Coq Au Vin
Let’s go over what we’ll need to make a wonderful Coq au Vin that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day! Remember, for all measurements and the full recipe instructions, make sure you scroll down to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD! You can save the recipe for later, and you can adjust the number of servings you’d like, so all the ingredient quantities are accounted for! Depending on if it’s dinner for two or for your whole family, the ingredients for this recipe are easily scalable!
For the Marinade
- Chicken: I’m using bone-in skin-on drumsticks and thighs. Feel free to use leg pieces or even chicken breast if you’d like. However, with chicken breast, keep in mind that it may dry out, and the cooking time will differ.
- Red wine: As mentioned earlier, I used merlot here. In the marinade, we’ll be using an entire bottle!
- Onions: I’m using white pearl onions here.
- Thyme: I’m using sprigs of fresh thyme, but you could also use dry thyme.
- Bay leaf: One bay leaf to add a little personal touch - I love my bay leaves!
For the Coq Au Vin
- Beef broth: Use the best quality beef broth you can find. I got mine from a local butcher.
- Bacon: I also got this from the butcher and asked for a two-inch thick piece. You could also use pancetta, but I loved this double smoked bacon. The awesome flavours of the bacon seeped into the chicken and sauce! You could also pancetta or salted pork. You may have to use strips of bacon, but because the bits will be smaller and you won’t have thick chunks of meat, this will affect the texture. The gravy won’t be as smooth, so be mindful if you are using strips of bacon.
- Mushrooms: Cremini button mushrooms will work best here.
- Garlic cloves: Minced.
- Tomato paste: Julia Child’s famous recipe calls for a fresh tomato, but I used tomato paste for a deep, rich flavour and a hint of sweetness.
- Butter: While most of the sauce is cooked in the bacon grease, we’ll add some extra butter. We’ll also be adding some butter to thicken the sauce. I like to use unsalted butter so I can adjust for seasoning as I go.
- Olive oil: Mixed with butter and flour to thicken the sauce.
- All-purpose flour: Also used to thicken the sauce. Whisk together olive oil, softened butter, and all-purpose flour and add this to the coq au vin after it has baked.
- Salt and pepper: To taste of course!
For Serving
- Tagliatelle
- Mashed potatoes
- Butter
- Tarragon or thyme
How to Make Coq Au Vin
For the Marinade
In a large bowl, add the chicken, wine, bay leaf, thyme and pearl onions. Marinate for at least 12 hours, or preferably overnight.
For the Coq Au Vin
Cut the slab of bacon to lardons or cuboids, roughly 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch thick. Place in a cold stock pot and turn the heat to medium. Sauté until they turn golden brown and crispy, around 15-20 minutes.
In the meanwhile, chop any large mushrooms to quarters and any small mushrooms in half. Remove the pearl onions from the marinade, set aside. Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat them dry.
Reserve the marinade.
Once the bacon is ready, remove from the pot with a slotted spoon.
Add the onions to the stock pot with the bacon fat and sauté until they get some colour. If at any point, the browned bacon bits in the pan start to turn dark, deglaze with some wine or brandy.
Make a well in the middle and add the chicken. Get some colour on either side of the chicken, you can stack the onions over the chicken if they are done. Sauté until the mushrooms have some colour and have released most of their water.
Once the chicken is browned on the outside, remove from the pan. In the pot with the onions add the mushrooms, 2 Tbsp butter, salt and pepper.
Return the chicken to the pot, along with the browned bacon, reserved marinade, beef broth, garlic and tomato paste. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
In an oven preheated to 350F, transfer the stockpot to the middle rack and cook with the lid on for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Alternatively, you can reduce it on low heat on the stove.
To thicken the gravy, make a paste out of flour, olive oil and butter. Remove the stockpot from the oven and place on low heat on the stove. Add the paste 1 tsp at a time and whisk. Repeat until all of the paste has been dissolved. Alternatively, make a slurry out of 1 1/2 Tbsp of cornstarch and water and add to gravy for a gluten free version.
For Serving
Simmer until the stew has reached the desired consistency. Adjust for seasoning and serve with pasta or mashed potatoes and fresh bread.
Tips for an Outstanding Coq Au Vin
- The consistency of the final dish is really up to your preference. You want more sauciness, don’t reduce it as much. If you really want a thick, rich gravy, continue to reduce until you get to this consistency.
- Dark meat goes best with a stewed dish such as this. Using chicken breast would result in a grainier meat texture, compared to the uber smooth tenderness of dark meat.
- The wine you pick should be one you like to drink as well.
- Simmering the coq au vin in the oven at 350 F helps with a more even cook compared to on the stove top. But both ways will result in a great tasting dish.
What Is Served Chicken with Coq Au Vin?
I recommend your favourite starch to get all that awesome sauce! As you’ll see in the video, I served my Coq au Vin with pasta along with bread and butter! In particular, I made coq au vin tagliatelle, but here are pther pasta shapes I recommend are:
- Rigatoni
- Pappardelle
- Campanelle (little bells)
- Wheels
- Fusilli
You could also use egg noodles! Another amazing side dish would be some Creamy Mashed Potatoes - the sauce would act as a heavenly gravy over them! A super simple serving option could be some simple Steamed Basmati Rice. You don’t want that sauce to go to waste, and adding a starch will add even more body to your dish, so I totally recommend you have some pasta, bread, and/or potatoes!
If you’re looking for a romantic dessert to end your special date night dinner, then I totally recommend you try out my Espresso Brownies with Peppermint Mocha Cream - you can bake your brownies as your sauce thickens over the stove - the oven will already be hot!
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