Coq au Vin – A Simple French Recipe of Chicken Braised in Red Wine

It may sound fancy, but Coq au Vin, or rooster in wine, is a classic French recipe that isn’t as complicated as it sounds. It is a simple, one-pot wonder full of layered flavors of stewed chicken, bacon, onions, and mushrooms and red wine.

=== 🍽🍸🥩 RECIPE ===
1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir)
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Few sprigs fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
8 chicken thighs
4 strips bacon (6 ounces /190 g) cut into lardoons
4 ounces (120 ml) Brandy
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
Flour for dredging
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
5 ounces (140 g) mushrooms, halved
2 carrots, diced
14 oz bag (408 g) frozen pearl onions
1 cup – 8 oz (240 ml) Chicken stock
Beurre Manie (2 tablespoons butter (29 g) and flour (15 g)
Salt and Pepper

The night before, trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and skins. In a heavy duty zip top bag, place the chicken thighs, bay leaves, parsley and thyme. Add the entire bottle of wine. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C)

In a Dutch oven or deep pan with a lid, fry the bacon to render the fat. When the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered, use a slotted spoon, remove bacon and reserve.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the marinade.

Season the flour with salt and pepper, and lightly dredge the chicken. Brown the chicken in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Once all pieces are browned, add all the chicken back to the pan. Remove from the heat, add the brandy and with a stick lighter, flame the brandy. (Use Extreme Caution!) Once the flame dies down, add the onions, bacon, garlic , mushrooms, chicken stock and marinade back to the pan. Cover and turn on high heat for 5 minutes. Then place in over covered for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, add the frozen pearl onions, then return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and remove the parsley, thyme and bay leaves (if you can find them). If the sauce needs thickening, add a few knobs of the Beurre Manie, stir, and let rest for 5 minutes to thicken.

Server over a bed of mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles.