Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin

A classic French braise of chicken slowly simmered in red wine with lardons, pearl onions and mushrooms until the meat is silky and the sauce glossy. Best made a day ahead so the flavours can settle.

Prep

30 min

Cook

150 min

Total

180 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1.5 kg (3.3 lb) chicken pieces (legs and thighs), bone-in, skin-on
• •750 ml (3 cups) dry red wine, Burgundy or other dry red such as Pinot Noir
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) beef or chicken stock
• •150 g (5 oz) lardons (or thick-cut smoked bacon), cut into matchsticks
• •250 g (8 oz) pearl onions (or small shallots), peeled
• •250 g (8 oz) small button or cremini mushrooms, left whole if small, halved if larger
• •2 tbsp plain flour
• •2 tbsp unsalted butter
• •2 tbsp olive oil
• •2 tbsp cognac or brandy, optional but traditional
• •3 cloves garlic, crushed
• •4 sprigs fresh thyme
• •1 leaf bay leaf
• •1 tbsp tomato paste
• •1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, to finish

Steps

1. 1 Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a wide heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Brown the chicken pieces skin-side down for 4–5 minutes until golden, then turn and brown 2 minutes more. Work in batches so the pan is not crowded. Transfer to a plate.
2. 2 Pour off all but 1 tbsp of fat. Add the lardons and cook over medium heat for 4–5 minutes until they render their fat and turn crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside with the chicken.
3. 3 Add the pearl onions to the pot and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes until lightly browned on all sides. Add the mushrooms and cook another 3–4 minutes until they release their liquid and begin to brown. Remove and set aside with the lardons.
4. 4 Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute to cook out the raw taste.
5. 5 Pour in the cognac if using and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Let it bubble for 30 seconds, then add the wine and stock. Return the chicken, lardons, pearl onions, mushrooms, thyme sprigs and bay leaf to the pot. The liquid should come about two-thirds of the way up the chicken; if not, add a splash more stock.
6. 6 Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover partially and cook at the lowest possible heat for 1 hour 30 minutes, turning the chicken once or twice. The chicken is safely cooked when the thickest part of a thigh reads 75°C (165°F) on an instant-read thermometer and the meat pulls cleanly from the bone.
7. 7 Meanwhile, make the butter garnish: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of parsley, and swirl to combine. Skim any excess fat from the surface of the braise and stir in the butter mixture; this gives the sauce its glossy finish.
8. 8 Discard the bay and thyme stems. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls with buttered boiled potatoes, egg noodles or crusty bread, sprinkled with the remaining parsley.