Coq au Vin for Bastille Day
Iconic French chicken stewed in rich wine sauce.
Daily recipe · July 14, 2024
A little about this dish
A classic French cuisine to commemorate Bastille Day, we present Coq au Vin. This iconic dish which literally translates to 'Rooster in Wine', uses chicken marinated in red wine, along with aromatic herbs, fresh vegetables, and breasts of bacon adding a distinctive French flair. The slow-cooked dish conjures the authentic flavors of rustic France on your American kitchen countertop.
Ingredients (for 4)
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin-on, bone-in — 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks
- Pinot noir red wine — 750 ml — robust and fruity
- Pearl onions — 12 — peeled
- Button mushrooms — 200 g — sliced
- Garlic — 3 cloves — minced
- Cognac or brandy — 1/2 cup
- Chicken broth — 2 cups
- Bacon — 200 g — diced
- Fresh thyme — 3 sprigs
- Bay leaf — 1
- Parsley — 2 tablespoons — chopped
- Unsalted butter — 2 tablespoons
- Olive oil — 1 tablespoon
- All-purpose flour — 2 tablespoons
- Salt — to taste
- Pepper — to taste
Preparation
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Step 1 — 🍗🍷⏲️Marinate the chicken in the red wine overnight, or for at least two hours.
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Step 2 — 🥓🍳✅Sauté bacon in olive oil in a Dutch oven until crisp. Remove and set aside.
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Step 3 — 🐔🍳🌰Brown the chicken pieces in the same pot, adding more oil if necessary. Remove after browning.
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Step 4 — 🍄🍳💛Sauté the pearl onions and mushrooms in the same pot until golden brown.
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Step 5 — 🧄💨🍞Add the minced garlic, let cook until aromatic. Sprinkle flour over and stir to combine.
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Step 6 — 🥃🥘🥄Deglaze the pot with cognac or brandy, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.
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Step 7 — 🍗🌿🍲⏲️Return chicken and bacon to the pot. Add thyme, bay leaf, chicken broth, and remaining wine. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 2 hours until chicken is tender.
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Step 8 — 🌱🧈🌀Just before serving, stir in the chopped parsley and butter to enrich the sauce.
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Step 9 — 🧂🌶️🔥Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with crusty bread or potatoes.
A final fox tip
Coq au Vin is traditionally made with a whole rooster, but any part of the chicken works well. Also, in place of Pinot Noir, you can use any wine available regionally to your liking. Worth mentioning, this dish marries well with time, tasting even better the next day. A beautiful history to share at the dinner table, Coq au Vin was a favorite of Julia Child, who helped popularize French cuisine in America.