Delicious French Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin is as quintessential to French cuisine as hamburgers are to American dining. This iconic dish, steeped in tradition, has been a comforting staple for generations. Traditionally, coq au vin was made with an old rooster, but I prefer using a younger chicken for a quicker braise of around 40 minutes. A key step in achieving depth of flavor is marinating the raw chicken overnight in wine and aromatic herbs, allowing the marinade to infuse every bite. 

Ingredients 

🔖 One whole chicken deboned or 1kg of chicken pieces

For the marinade:

🔖 1 litre (4 cups) red pinot noir wine

🔖 1 shallot (sliced)

🔖 2 garlic cloves (sliced)

🔖 1 carrot (sliced)

🔖 1 onion (sliced)

🔖 50 ml (1.7 fl oz) of Cognac (I used Courvoisier)

🔖 20 ml (0.7 fl oz) of peanut or sunflower oil

🔖 1 bouquet garni

🔖 1 tsp of black pepper

For the stock:

🔖 The carcass of one chicken cut into pieces

🔖 1 tomato

🔖 1 carrot

🔖 1 bouquet garni

🔖 1 onion

🔖 500 ml of premium chicken stock 

🔖 200 ml of water

For the sauce:

🔖 Marinade used to cook the chicken

🔖 50 ml cognac

🔖 Reduced chicken stock

For the garnish:

🔖 125 g of pearl onions

🔖 half a tbsp of granulated sugar

🔖 Half a tablespoon of butter

🔖 125 g of button mushrooms

🔖 125 g of smoked pork belly, bacon in cubes

🔖 4 slices of white bread

🔖 Parsley

🔖 Salt and pepper to season

How to Make Coq au Vin 

Things to prepare the day before:

1. Marinate your chicken pieces in red wine by putting the chicken pieces in a large bowl with the carrot, onion, shallot, garlic, and the bouquet garni. Then pour in the red wine and oil over the chicken.
2. Mix with a slotted spoon and cover with a lid, and place in the fridge. Leave for at least 6 hours, turning the pieces of chicken from time to time.
3. Make a brown chicken stock or use a good quality ready-made brown chicken stock (in liquid form, not stock cubes).

Instructions

Step 1

First, take the chicken pieces out of the marinade and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Do the same with the garnish from the marinade, but keep it separate from the chicken.

Step 2

After that, filter the marinade through a sieve into a saucepan and bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat. Before the marinade boils remove any scum appearing on the surface.

Step 3

Carry out the same process with the chicken stock unless you're using a readymade stock, in which case warm it up in a pan and let it simmer gently while you start cooking your chicken. 

Step 4

To cook the chicken, add a mix of butter and oil to a casserole dish and brown the chicken pieces on a medium heat until golden, then put them on a plate. 

Step 5

In the same casserole dish, cook the vegetables from the marinade for a few minutes before adding the chicken back to the dish. Add a dash of cognac and light it up to 'flambé'. Add the wine marinade and leave to reduce for 10 minutes.

Step 6

Then, after 10 minutes, top up with the warm chicken stock until it barely covers the chicken pieces and season lightly with salt and pepper. Put a lid on the casserole dish and cook in the oven for around 30 minutes at 200 °C.  While the chicken is cooking in the oven, prepare the garnish. 

Step 7

Caramelise the pearl onions: Place the pearl onions into a saucepan and add a tablespoon of butter and half a tablespoon of sugar.  Fill with water halfway to the top of the onions and cover with a piece of parchment paper. Leave to simmer on low to medium heat until the water evaporates and the onions are caramelised (they should become light brown in colour). When done, keep aside on a plate.

Step 8

Fried Mushroom and Bacon:  Add a tablespoon of butter into a frying pan on high heat and wait until the butters start foaming. Add the mushroom, cut into quarters, and fry until golden brown. Remove and keep on a plate. Next, add the bacon cubes to the same pan and fry until lightly crispy. Then return the mushrooms to the pan, mix well before taking the pan off the heat. 

Step 9

Large croutons: Take a large white bread and cut the crust into triangles. Bring a frying pan to medium-high heat and add a nudge of butter. When the butter starts to foam, add the triangles of bread and toast until golden brown on both sides. You may need to add more butter to the pan. When done, set aside on a plate. 

Step 10

When the chicken is cooked for around 30 minutes, take the meat out of the dish and set aside on a tray while you finish the sauce. Filter the sauce through a sieve and discard the garnish. Once the sauce has been filtered, put it back into your pan. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. To thicken the sauce, add a small amount of beurre manie (equal amount of butter and flour mixed together) until you get the desired consistency. Add the bacon and mushrooms, and a dash of cognac to the sauce, and bring to the boil. As soon as the sauce boils, it is ready to serve.

Step 11

To serve, place the chicken in the pan with the sauce. Add the caramelised onions and croutons on top as a garnish. 

Try this Tasty Coq au Vin recipe, and please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.