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Coq Au Vin is a rustic French chicken stew made with red wine, bacon, mushrooms, and herbs. It’s rich, comforting, and surprisingly simple to prepare at home.
This easy recipe uses crispy chicken thighs and drumsticks that soak up all the savory flavor. Whether ytraou’re after the best coq au vin recipe for a cozy night in or a traditional recipe to impress, this one delivers. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes, rice, or cauliflower mash.
Why This Coq Au Vin Works
Coq Au Vin, which means “rooster in wine,” is traditionally made with bone-in chicken braised in red wine like Burgundy, along with bacon, onions, garlic, and herbs. While red wine is the classic choice, white wine such as Riesling also works beautifully depending on your taste.
Much like Beef Bourguignon, this dish builds layers of flavor from browning the meat to finishing with buttery mushrooms. Our version keeps things simple without losing any of that rich, comforting depth. The chicken is seared until golden and crispy, then gently simmered in wine until it’s tender and full of flavor.
What Goes Into This Recipe
This dish is made with a handful of simple ingredients that work together to create deep, classic French flavor. Each one plays a role in building the rich, savory sauce that makes this dish so memorable.
What makes this recipe shine:
- Bone-in chicken pieces – Thighs and drumsticks work best, holding up well during braising and delivering juicy, flavorful meat.
- Red wine – A good-quality Burgundy, Pinot Noir, or Shiraz gives the sauce its signature richness and depth.
- Bacon and garlic – These build the savory foundation of the dish, adding smoky, aromatic flavor.
- Pearl onions and cremini mushrooms – Sautéed until tender, they finish the dish with a touch of sweetness and earthiness.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements
How To Make Coq Au Vin
- Preheat and cook the bacon: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate and set aside.
- Sear the chicken pieces: Pat the chicken dry with paper towel and season well with salt and pepper. Working in batches, sear the chicken in the bacon fat, skin-side down for thighs. Cook for about 5 minutes per side until browned and crisp. Transfer to the plate with the bacon.
- Sauté the vegetables: In the same pot, add the diced onion, carrots, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are soft and lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Deglaze and braise: Pour in the brandy, red wine, and chicken stock. Stir to deglaze the pot. Return the chicken and bacon to the pot, add the thyme, and bring to a simmer. Cover and bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Sauté the mushrooms: While the chicken is braising, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced cremini mushrooms and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are golden brown. Season lightly with salt and set aside. This extra step brings a rich, earthy flavor to the final dish.
- Finish and thicken the sauce: Remove the pot and set it back on the stove over medium-low heat. Mash the remaining tablespoon of butter with the flour to form a paste, then stir it into the pot. Add the sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions. Let the stew simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
Serve this dish with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or crusty bread to soak up the rich sauce. For something fresh on the side, try our Avocado Feta Cucumber Salad or Grilled Asparagus. And to finish the meal, Easy Apple Crumble makes a warm, rustic dessert that pairs perfectly — or go savory with my Easy Ratatouille, full of tender veggies and herbs.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes! A Dutch oven or heavy-based pot works best since this recipe starts on the stove and finishes in the oven, but you can absolutely make it without one. Just keep everything on the stovetop and let it simmer gently until the chicken is tender.
Traditional Coq Au Vin recipes use red Burgundy, such as Pinot Noir. We love using Shiraz for its rich flavor, but dry white wines like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris also work well if you prefer a lighter version.
No, but we highly recommend it. Sautéing mushrooms in butter while the dish bakes adds an extra layer of depth. For even more flavor, stir in a little garlic as they cook. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference.
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Coq Au Vin
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 ounces bacon diced
- 8 skin on bone in chicken pieces 4 drumsticks and 4 thighs, skin on
- 2 teaspoons salt plus more to season
- 1/2-1 teaspoon cracked pepper plus more to season
- 1 onion diced
- 8 oz carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup brandy optional
- 350 ml red wine good quality, Burgundy, Pinot Noir, Shiraz
- 1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
- 5 thyme sprigs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces whole onions frozen small, pearl onions
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms thickly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley to garnish – optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F | 175°C.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook until crispy (about 8 to 10 minutes). Transfer bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.
- Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken pieces in batches of two to the leftover bacon grease (skin side down for chicken thighs). Sear for about 5 minutes each side, until skin is rendered, crispy and browned. Transfer chicken to the plate with the bacon. Set aside.
- Add the onions, carrots, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally, until the onions are transparent and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Pour in the Cognac/brandy, wine and chicken stock; stir to combine. Add the thyme, bacon, chicken, and any juices leftover from the plate into the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid or foil and transfer to the oven for 20-30, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
- While chicken is in the oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and browned. Set aside.
- Remove casserole from oven and place on stove. Mash the remaining butter with the flour and stir into the casserole (the heat will cook any lumps out). Add the pearl onions; bring the casserole to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Season to taste, if desired. Garnish with parsley and any extra thyme leaves, and serve immediately over mashed potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was AMAZING! Thanks so much. I followed the recipe and it was easy and delicious. Great depth of flavours.
That’s so great Angela! Thank you for sharing!
No oven so I have to cook it on the stove. Do I cover with lid while cooking on stove and not transferring to an oven? How much additional time do I cook on the stove? and do I use low heat or a simmer ?
Would like to try this maybe for Christmas
Made this tonight for dinner and it was just ok. Needed more flavor to me. Maybe it was because I did it all on stove stop and not in the oven. I left out the brandy and used the wine.
I don’t seem to be able to keep the skin from sticking to the pan, any advice for me?
Excellent recipe, everyone loved it.
Hello John,
I have learned that sometime lowering the temperature just a little can help with this. I am so glad that everyone loved it. It really is a great recipe! Thanks for following along!
Turn the heat down a bit. If you’re searing the chicken on max, try 3/4 or 2/3 on the dial.
What would you change if using boneless chicken breast?
You will want to reduce the cooking time for chicken breast. Hope that helps! Enjoy! XO
The recipe does not say when to add mushrooms
That’s is what I was wondering too. Going to just add them at the end. Cooking it right now.
Prepared it for thankgiving dinner, and substituted the chicken for Morning Star Veggie grillers (had a few vegetarian guests). Everyone enjoyed the dish so much! Very flavorful, even without thr bacon qnd chicken. Thank you for the recipe!
I made this last night…truly one of the most amazing, flavorful, perfect recipes I have ever made! I have gluten issues so I substituted tapioca starch for the flour and didn’t use the brandy, only added red wine. The house smelled amazing and tasted even better! Thank you!
That is great to hear! I am so happy that you loved it! Thank you so much for sharing! XO
Love this recipe to speed this up I’ve cheated and used a rotisserie chicken boned and removed the skin only you’ll know happy holidays
This recipe looks delicious! I can’t wait to cook it for my family. I’m sure it’ll be a keeper. Your pictures are amazing too! Thank you for sharing.
How much wine in cups?
It is about 1 1/2 cups of wine.