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coq au vin
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Coq au Vin

A classic French Coq au Vin. Here, chicken is braised in a rich & flavourful red wine sauce with bacon, mushrooms, baby onions & fresh herbs.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: French
Servings: 4 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Large Ovenproof Saucepan
  • Digital Food Probe
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Slotted Spoon

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken Legs (See Notes)

Marinade

  • 500 ml Red Wine (See Notes)
  • 5 Sprigs Thyme
  • 5 Sprigs Rosemary
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 10 Black Peppercorns

Coq Au Vin

  • 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 100 g Smoked Bacon (Or Pancetta)
  • 200 g Button Mushrooms
  • 3 Carrots
  • 250 g Pearl Onions (Or Shallots)
  • 50 g Plain Flour
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 1 tsp Finely Chopped Thyme
  • 1 tsp Finely Chopped Rosemary
  • 600 ml Beef Stock
  • 25 g Butter

Instructions

Red Wine Marinade

  • Add the chicken into a large mixing bowl then add in the red wine, herbs & peppercorns. Cover with clingfilm & refrigerate overnight (or up to 24 hours).

Coq Au Vin - Prep

  • Take the chicken legs out of the marinade & place onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Pat the chicken dry & set to one side.
  • Pour the marinade into a jug, through a sieve. Keep the bay leaves but discard the rosemary, thyme & peppercorns.
  • Cut the bacon into chunky lardons (about 1 cm thick) & set aside.
  • Cut the button mushrooms into quarters if they're big or in half if they're small. Set these to one side as well.
  • Peel the carrots & pearl onions/shallots. Cut the carrots into a chunky dice (around 1-2cm wide).
    If you're using shallots, cut them in half.

Coq Au Vin - Cooking

  • Preheat an oven to 160°c/140°c fan (320°f/284°f).
  • Set a large saucepan over a medium-high heat & add in a tbsp of vegetable oil. Let the oil heat up for a minute or two then add in the bacon & fry until crisp and golden.
  • Use a slotted spoon to take the bacon out of the pan, transfer to a bowl & set aside (keep the fat in the pan).
  • Next, season the chicken legs with sea salt & black pepper then fry in the bacon fat for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Once seared, transfer the chicken to a plate & set aside.
    You might need to sear the chicken in batches.
  • Add the mushrooms into the pan then fry for 4-5 minutes, until golden & soft. Transfer these to a bowl & set to one side.
  • Next, add the carrots & onions into the pan then fry for 4-5 minutes, until golden (add a splash more oil into the pan if necessary) then stir in the flour, followed by the tomato paste & chopped herbs.
    The flour & tomato paste should coat the veg!
  • Gradually pour the red wine (from the marinade) into the pan, stirring as you do so. Cook out for a minute or so, until thick then add in the beef stock & reserved bay leaves.
    As you pour in the wine, scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon/spatula, to deglaze.
  • Add the chicken legs back into the pan, bring the sauce to a simmer, cover with a lid (or foil) then cook in the preheated oven until the chicken is cooked through. This will take around 30 minutes.
    Use a digital food probe to check if the chicken is cooked! The internal temperature of the meat should be at least 75°c/167°f.
  • Once the chicken is cooked, set the pan over a low heat & remove the lid. Gently stir in the bacon, mushrooms & butter then give the sauce a taste, to check the seasoning.
  • Season the sauce with salt & pepper as needed then let the coq au vin warm through for a minute or two (to warm the mushrooms & bacon) then serve.

Notes

1. To Cook In An Aga - Use the boiling plate to fry the bacon, chicken & veg. Cook the coq au vin in the baking oven, on a grid shelf placed on the floor. Place a cold plain shelf on the top shelf of the baking oven for the duration of the cook. Use the simmering plate to warm the stew through when you add in the bacon & mushrooms.
2. Chicken - Traditionally, you'd use a whole chicken for coq au vin but we're using just legs. It's best to use legs that are a similar size, so that they cook evenly. Chicken thighs will work as well or you could use a combination of thighs & legs.
3. Wine - A good red wine like a Pinot Noir or a Burgundy works best for coq au vin. Don't worry about using an overly expensive wine though.
4. Onions - Baby/pearl onions work great in coq au vin but small (round) shallots work as well. If you're using shallots, you'll need to cut them in half whereas baby onions can be left whole.
5. Bacon - Either bacon or pancetta will work for this recipe. I like to use smoked for extra flavour but unsmoked will work as well. It's best to cut your lardons chunky, so I'd recommend buying a piece of uncut bacon, so that you can cut it yourself. Pre sliced bacon will get lost in the sauce!
6. Making In Advance - The flavour of your coq au vin will get even better if you refrigerate it overnight before serving. When you reheat the stew, make sure that the sauce is piping hot & that the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 75°c/167°f.