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Main Dishes • French

The Best Coq Au Vin Recipe

Slowly braised chicken cooks in a rich red wine sauce with a bundle of fresh herbs, bacon, pearl onions and mushrooms to make this fall-off-the-bone tender, flavorful coq au vin.

4.8 from 137 votes
150 mins
Total Time
6
Servings
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The Best Coq Au Vin

How to Make the Best The Best Coq Au Vin

This Coq Au Vin is the ultimate French comfort food—tender chicken braised in a rich red wine sauce with bacon, pearl onions, and mushrooms. It’s a show-stopping dish that looks far more complicated than it actually is, making it perfect for entertaining or treating yourself to a special weeknight dinner.

The magic of this recipe lies in the slow braising process. As the chicken simmers gently in burgundy wine, the meat becomes incredibly tender and infuses with all the deep, savory flavors from the herbs, aromatic vegetables, and bacon fat. The sauce naturally thickens and becomes luxuriously rich without requiring cream.

Serve this restaurant-quality dish over buttered egg noodles, creamy mashed potatoes, or polenta, and prepare to impress everyone at your table. This is the kind of classic recipe that deserves a place in any home cook’s repertoire.

The Best Coq Au Vin

The Best Coq Au Vin

Slowly braised chicken cooks in a rich red wine sauce with a bundle of fresh herbs, bacon, pearl onions and mushrooms to make this fall-off-the-bone tender, flavorful coq au vin.

4.8 from 137 votes
CourseMain Dishes
CuisineFrench
Keywordbraised chicken, cooking with wine, coq au vin
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time135 mins
Total Time150 mins
Servings6 servings
Calories762kcal
AuthorAlex Raeburn
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Ingredients

Main Ingredients

Aromatics & Herbs

Pantry & Seasonings

For Serving

Instructions

Prepare Ingredients

  1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil, add pearl onions and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, cut off the root ends and slip off the skins.

Cook Bacon & Prepare Base

  1. In a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
  2. Cook chopped bacon and pearl onions until the bacon turns crisp. Transfer the bacon and pearl onions to a plate with a slotted spoon and drain. Some chopped bacon pieces might finish cooking before others—transfer those as they're ready to prevent burning.

Brown the Chicken

  1. While the bacon cooks, season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour.
  2. Once you transfer all the bacon and pearl onions, place the chicken skin-side down in the rendered bacon fat and butter. Cook undisturbed until the skin browns, about 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. You'll likely have to do this in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

Build the Braising Liquid

  1. Remove the last batch of chicken and whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour. Continuously whisk for about 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Slowly pour in the wine, brandy and Better Than Bouillon and continue to whisk until the flour smoothly incorporates with the liquids.
  3. Add the parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and garlic cut-side down.

Braise the Chicken

  1. Return the chicken, bacon and pearl onions to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover.
  2. Stir occasionally and simmer covered for 45 minutes.

Finish with Mushrooms

  1. While the chicken braises, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden. (You can cook the mushrooms ahead of time if preferred.)
  2. After the 45 minutes are up, add the mushrooms and simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes.
  3. Serve over buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes or polenta. Enjoy!

Notes

  • This classic French dish is perfect for special occasions or impressive dinner parties
  • The braising liquid develops more depth of flavor as it simmers—don't rush the process
  • Leftover coq au vin reheats beautifully and tastes even better the next day
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