Classic French Coq au Vin (Printable)

Tender chicken braised in red wine with mushrooms and bacon, delivering deep, aromatic flavors.

# What You Need:

→ Protein & Main

01 - 1 whole chicken (approximately 3.3 lbs), cut into 8 pieces
02 - 5.3 oz smoked bacon or pancetta, diced

→ Vegetables

03 - 7 oz pearl onions, peeled
04 - 8.8 oz cremini or button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
05 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 25 fl oz dry red wine (e.g., Burgundy or Pinot Noir)
08 - 8.5 fl oz chicken stock

→ Pantry & Herbs

09 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
10 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
11 - 2 tbsp olive oil
12 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
13 - 2 bay leaves
14 - 4 sprigs fresh thyme
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper

# How-To Steps:

01 - Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season evenly with salt and pepper.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
03 - In the same pot, brown chicken pieces in batches over medium heat until golden on all sides. Remove and set aside.
04 - Add sliced carrots, pearl onions, and minced garlic to the pot. Sauté until vegetables are lightly golden, approximately 5 minutes.
05 - Stir in tomato paste and flour; cook while stirring constantly for 1 minute to form a base.
06 - Return chicken pieces and cooked bacon to the pot. Pour in red wine and chicken stock. Add bay leaves and fresh thyme sprigs. Scrape bottom of pot to loosen browned bits.
07 - Bring mixture to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1.5 hours, or until chicken is tender and infused with flavors.
08 - While chicken braises, heat 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté mushrooms until browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
09 - Remove lid from Dutch oven for the last 15 minutes of cooking to reduce sauce slightly. Stir in sautéed mushrooms. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
10 - Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Serve hot, optionally garnished with fresh parsley.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The chicken becomes so tender it falls apart with just a fork, absorbing every ounce of that wine-rich sauce.
  • It actually gets better the next day when all those flavors have had time to deepen and talk to each other.
  • You look like you spent hours cooking when really you just let the oven do most of the work.
02 -
  • Don't skip browning the chicken properly—that golden crust is where half the flavor comes from, and rushing it shows in the final dish.
  • The mushrooms absolutely must be sautéed separately, otherwise they'll release all their water into the pot and turn gray and sad instead of rich and golden.
  • Taste before serving and be willing to adjust—sometimes the wine tastes too forward, sometimes you need more salt, and that's completely normal.
03 -
  • Use wine you'd actually drink—the quality matters more here than in almost any other cooking, because the wine becomes the main event.
  • Don't lift the lid and peek too often during cooking; every time you do, heat escapes and the timing shifts.
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