Coq au Vin is a classic French dish. It literally translates to “Chicken with Wine”. The process – relatively simple. The results – utterly gourmet, tender and mouthwatering. Chicken browned and then braised in a red wine sauce. The red wine reduces, chicken becomes tender, the result…pure yum! I have changed this dish just a bit from the traditional version to make it a little simpler. I’ve left out the bacon and pearl onions and added shallots instead.
Make sure, of course, that you buy a pastured, organic raised chicken to make your Coq au Vin. By buying conventional chickens, you are not only taking a risk with your health, but also supporting factory farming, which is a system that pollutes the environment and continues an agricultural model, which yields many negative consequences. Pastured chickens not only taste better, but also are better for your health and for our planet as a whole.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half, drumsticks, and/or thighs)
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil as needed
- 10 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup shallots, sliced
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ¼ teaspoon dry)
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot (optional – this thickens the sauce)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bottle dry red wine
- 3 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil together or 4 tablespoons of lard or bacon fat in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. You may also use ghee.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown on both sides for about 8-10 minutes. Reduce the heat if the pan begins to scorch. You may need to brown the chicken in two batches depending on the size of your pan. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate.
- Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil left in the pan and cook mushrooms, shallots and salt over medium heat until lightly browned or for about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Stir in the flour and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more, stirring continuously. Slowly add wine while scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Then slowly stir in the chicken broth. Add bay leaves and bring to a slow simmer.
- Add the chicken back into the pot making sure all the pieces are covered with the braising liquid. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer gently until the chicken is fully cooked. This will take about 40 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to your serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Continue to simmer the braising liquid over medium-high heat until it has thickened and measures about 2 cups. This will take about 20 minutes longer. Once you reach this point, turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, whisk in the butter, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with parsley.
Just made this for dinner tonight, only had about 1/3 bottle of wine on hand to add but it still came out delicious!!!
Hi Lindsey!
Oh yay, so glad to hear this came out delicious! Meat braised with a little wine…you can’t go wrong. Thanks for posting your results. Much love, Amanda