Easy Coq au Vin
There is nothing like a classic that instantly sets a mood and brings cozy comfort. Easy Coq au Vin delivers all of the familiar flavors of this traditional French dish in a simplified way that makes it perfect for any night of the week. Hearty, aromatic, savory, and deeply layered, this chicken recipe is sure to become part of your regular meal planning.
Whether it’s the Ultimate Chicken Paprikash or this hearty chicken with wine dish, the canvas of chicken is ideally suited to taking on rich and bold flavors. Smoky bacon, sweet and bright tomatoes, and earthy mushrooms prove why this chicken recipe is such a classic.
Ingredients
Some coq au vin recipes start with a whole chicken that needs to be cut up. This Easy Coq au Vin recipe utilizes quick cooking but juicy and flavorful chicken thighs. Utilizing pantry staples like crushed tomatoes with fresh ingredients, this French inspired dish is just as easy to shop for as it is to make.
- Chicken Thighs – Skip the long cook time of a whole chicken. Chicken thighs are faster cooking while remaining tender, juicy, and succulent. Using bone in chicken adds even more flavor and is suited to the braising of this recipe.
- Bacon – Build a layer of richness and smokiness while giving the perfect fat to sear your chicken and vegetables in.
- Onion – Adds depth and natural sweetness.
- Mushrooms – Meaty, and earthy, these give flavor, texture, and make this dish extra hearty.
- Carrots – Gives sweetness and texture.
- Garlic – Adds a savory note and depth of flavor.
- Tuttorosso San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes – While not a traditional ingredient in coq au vin, this adds natural sweetness to the dish and gives it that all day, low and slow simmered flavor. Tuttorosso San Marzano Hand Crushed Tomatoes are preserved using Steam Sealed Flavor-Loc™ system. They are less acidic, have less seeds, and naturally sweeter.
- Red Wine – The vin in coq au vin, or rooster with wine. Burgandy is traditional but use a wine that you enjoy drinking. Remember the flavor will deepen and concentrate as it cooks down.
- Pearl Onions – Go ahead and reach for those frozen pearl onions and skip the peeling! Adds both texture and sweetness.
- Bouquet Garni – A traditional combination of herbs that includes thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
How to Make Easy Coq au Vin
This hearty and comforting dish comes together in just a few easy steps. Because this braised chicken recipe uses chicken thighs it goes from oven to table in around two hours.
Time needed: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Tender red wine and tomato braised chicken thighs are simmered along with earthy mushrooms, sweet carrots, and pearl onions.
- Season
Season both sides of your chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Bacon
Cook your chopped bacon on medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove it to a paper towel lined plate and allow it to drain.
- Sear
Add your chicken to the pan and cook the first side until it’s golden brown. Flip it and cook the second side until golden. You are not looking to cook the chicken all the way though, just sear it. Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Sauté
Add the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic. Allow them to cook until the onions are translucent.
- Saucy
Add the tomatoes into the pot along with half a can of water and the red wine. Stir to combine. Allow it to simmer and reduce, about five minutes.
- Braise
Add the chicken, bacon, and pearl onions into the pot along with the bouquet garni. Cover and transfer the Dutch oven to a 400 degree stove. Let it cook for an hour.
- Finishing Touch
The last half hour of cooking remove the cover and allow it to cook for another thirty minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced. Remove the bouquet garni before serving.
Substitutions
This recipe is for easy coq au vin uses chicken thighs. However you can make the same recipe using a cut up chicken, chicken legs, or even breasts that have been halved. Bone in chicken will not only give you the most flavor but also keep the chicken tender and moist. The cooking time will vary depending on what cut of chicken you use but always cook your chicken to an internal temperature of 175 degrees.
Storage
Easy Coq au Vin makes fantastic leftovers! Keep it stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will keep for up to five days.
How to Make a Bouquet Garni
Skip chopping up your herbs and instead create a bouquet garni. Different recipes call for different combinations of herb. This one combines thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Simply tie them together with food safe kitchen twine. Add them to your braising liquid, and then pull the little bundle out before serving.
How to Serve Easy Coq au Vin
How you serve up your coq au vin is as important as the dish itself. Here are a few ideas.
- Mashed Potatoes
- Polenta
- Boiled Potatoes
- Pasta
- Egg Noodles
Top Tip for Easy Coq au Vin
Always make sure that your Dutch oven is fully heated before adding your chicken. You want it to sear on the outside, creating that flavor and crust. If it isn’t hot enough the chicken will steam instead of searing, creating that golden crust.
Easy Coq au Vin
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven or braiser
Ingredients
- 5 chicken thighs, bone in
- 5 strips bacon, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 14 oz Tuttorosso San Marzano Hand Crushed Tomatoes, half a can
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup red wine
- 10 oz pearl onions
- 1 bouquet garni, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves tied together with kitchen twine.
- salt and black pepper to season the chicken
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper and set aside.
- Add the bacon to a Dutch oven or braiser on medium heat. Allow the bacon to cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate.
- Add the chicken to the pan. Allow the first side to cook until it is golden brown. Flip and cook the second side until golden. The chicken will not be cooked through, you are just searing it. Remove from the pan.
- Add the chopped onions, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic. Let sauté for 7-8 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add the tomatoes into the pot along with half a can of water. Check seasoning again if salt needed. Add the red wine and allow the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the bacon and chicken back into the pan along with the bouquet garni and pearl onions. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven.
- Let the chicken cook for an hour.
- Remove the lid for the last half hour so the sauce can thicken and brown. The chicken should be 165 degrees.
- Remove the bouquet garni.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, polenta, or pasta.
