What does Coq au Vin mean?

The direct translation of Coq au Vin is Rooster in Wine Sauce.

Is Coq au Vin made with Chicken or Duck?

Coq au Vin is made with chicken. In Burgundy, France, the tradition was to make this dish with male Chicken (the rooster) because the slow braising technique works well on tough meats. Today, Coq au Vin is made with chicken and is incredibly tender.

What does Coq au Vin taste like?

Coq au vin is a rich, savory stew of chicken pieces simmered for hours in a red wine sauce. The sautéed bacon, mushrooms, carrots and pearl onions create for layers of flavor that melt in your mouth. Absolutely delicious!

What does it mean to "Braise"?

Braising is a dual cooking technique that works very well for large, or tough cuts of meat. First you sear the meat at a high heat to seal in the juices and then you add liquid and bake for an extended amount of time. The meat is not fully immersed in the liquid as it would be a stew.

Coq au Vin made simple - Le Chef's Wife

Name: Coq au Vin made simple
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 5 lb Whole Chicken or 5 lbs of combined Chicken Thighs, breast and legs, skin on; 1/2 cup chopped bacon or lardons16 oz mushrooms (any kind will do, button mushroom are the classic, but a wild mushroom mix is wonderful)8 oz white pearl onions, left whole3 cups red wine (Pinot Noir is the traditional choice - the dish originates from Burgundy)1 cup of veal demi-glace. If you can't find veal demi-glace use chicken stock.1 stick of butter 2 tbsp olive oil2 tbsp sugar4 cloves of garlic, sliced3 carrots, diced (about 1 cup); 3 branches of celery, diced (about one cup); 2 sprigs each thyme and rosemary, finely chopped2 bay leaves1 star anise; 3/4 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Description

An iconic French Dish. Chicken that is seared, then braised in a rich red wine sauce that infuses it with so much flavor, you will say, "mmmmm" with every bite. Pearl onions, bacon and mushrooms add a level of flavor complexity, you won't believe you made this dish yourself!

Ingredients

Scale

1 5 lb Whole Chicken or 5 lbs of combined Chicken Thighs, breast and legs, skin on
1/2 cup chopped bacon or lardons
16 oz mushrooms (any kind will do, button mushroom are the classic, but a wild mushroom mix is wonderful)
8 oz white pearl onions, left whole
3 cups red wine (Pinot Noir is the traditional choice - the dish originates from Burgundy)
1 cup of veal demi-glace. If you can't find veal demi-glace use chicken stock.
1 stick of butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sugar
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
3 branches of celery, diced (about one cup)
2 sprigs each thyme and rosemary, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
3/4 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a Dutch oven on medium high, heat the olive oil.
If you are starting with a whole chicken, break the chicken into pieces. Start by dislocating the legs (twist and they will pop out easily) and then remove the wings. Slice the breast meat away into two filets, leaving the skin on.
*Very important* Pat the skin dry with a paper towel. This will help it to get a nice sear.
Sear chicken pieces skin down over medium high heat until dark brown pieces stick to the bottom of the pan. You will likely need to do this in two batches. You don't want to crowd the chicken or it won't sear properly.
Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.
Bring the heat down to medium, add the onions, bacon, garlic, butter and the sugar. Sautée, scrapping the bottom of the pan with a spoon to get all the flavorful bits of chicken into the mixture.
Once the onions are translucent, add in the chopped carrots and celery. Stir.
Then add in the mushrooms and stir gently until they soften.
Deglaze the pan with the veal demi-glace (or chicken stock) and scrape the bottom with a spoon (this is where all the flavor comes from!)
Add the bouqet garni and all of the wine. Bring back to a simmer.
Set chicken pieces back in the Dutch oven on top of the vegetable garnish. Cook in oven, uncovered for two hours.
(If you are serving the dish with mashed potatoes - you will want to begin the mashed potatoes while the Coq au Vin is in the oven)
Check the chicken every half hour or so. Carefully move the pieces around so that each piece of chicken is covered with the sauce.
There should be a generous amount of liquid left in the pot, surrounding the chicken.
After the 2 hours are up, remove from the oven. Discard the bouqet garni.
Allow to rest for at least a half hour before serving. This dish is also amazing the next day if you are preparing in advance.
Serving the Coq Au Vin
You can choose to individually plate each serving, but I love bringing this impressive dish in a platter to the table and serving family style.
After the dish has rested, remove the Chicken Pieces from the dutch oven and place on a serving platter.
Put the sauce back on the stove top over medium for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to further reduce.
Ladle the sauce over the chicken pieces on the platter.
Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.
I like to serve this dish with Le Chef's mashed potatoes. The creamiest mashed potatoes you have ever tasted!

Notes

Chefs tip! If the sauce is too liquid make a "pomade" with 2 tbsps of softened butter and 1 tbsp of flour in a bowl. Mix well together and then add to the simmering sauce, whisking rapidly until the sauce thickens. Make sure to constantly whisk so that you don't get clumps.