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Easy Coq au Vin

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Easy Coq au Vin is a braised chicken and mushroom dish in a red wine sauce that’s elegant and incredibly delicious, as well as really quick and easy to make at home.

Seared chicken with veggies in a cast iron pan with parsley sprinkled on top.

My family has many special traditions around the holidays, and not surprisingly perhaps, many of them revolve around food.

One of many favorites of mine is our Christmas Eve dinner. My mom and I have been making a special meal for our big Christmas Eve dinner for years and years now.

It’s different almost every year - we like to try new things and only occasionally have repeats. (I’m looking at you Julia Child and your beouf bourguignon.)

And today I wanted to share a classic recipe that feels special enough for the holidays - even for your big holiday dinner - but is actually really quick and easy to make.

(Is it me, or is that not the most beautiful, welcome thing at the holidays?)

Easy coq au vin is a classic French dish of braised chicken with mushrooms, bacon or lardons and a red wine sauce.

Coq au vin with carrots and mushrooms in a red wine sauce in a cast iron skillet.

It’s elegant and absolutely delicious, but I promise, it’s not at all intimidating.

This is one of those fancy sounding dishes you can absolutely tackle in your own kitchen. 

And my version today is going to break it all down and keep everything extra easy for you. And ready in just 30 minutes!

You’ll be making this year round once you see how simple and how very full of flavor it is.

So let’s get cooking.

  • Ingredients laid out in separate bowls for a seared chicken and mushroom dish.
  • A chicken thigh being dredged in a flour mixture.
  • Cut bacon pieces being added to a cast iron pan.
  • Cooked bacon pieces and grease in a cast iron pan.
  • Chicken thighs coated in flour nestled into a cast iron pan.
  • Seared chicken thighs in a cast iron pan.
  • Separate piles of mushrooms, carrots, onion and tomato paste in a cast iron pan before cooking.
  • A sautéed mixture of carrots, onions and mushrooms in a cast iron pan.
  • Coq au vin simmering in a cast iron pan.

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make coq au vin. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Ingredient Notes:

  • Bacon: Use a thick, good quality bacon for this recipe so you not only render the fat but have decent sized pieces to mix into the sauce. Lardons would be perfect, but a thick cut bacon works just fine, too. You can also substitute pancetta if you prefer.
  • Chicken: Chicken thighs are a must here for their extra flavor and richness. Using boneless, skinless helps reduce the cook time and make this a quicker recipe. Adjust the cook time if you use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks.
  • Mushrooms: The flavor of cremini mushrooms works great here, or you could substitute baby Bella mushrooms.
  • Red wine: Choose a dry red wine like a Cabernet or Burgundy, such as Pinot Noir. Make sure it’s one you would drink and that you like the flavor.
A cast iron skillet with a finished coq au vin dish sprinkled with parsley.

The sauce for this dish is going to thicken as it cooks and you can even turn it off and let the whole dish sit for a few minutes. It adds to the richness.

The recipe as written should get you where you need to be.

If, however, your sauce hasn’t thickened to your liking by the time the chicken is cooked through, here’s a few tips for you of easy ways to thicken it up.

How to Thicken Sauce:

Option 1. Remove the chicken and veggies to a plate, cover and keep warm. Increase the heat to medium and cook the sauce for 4-5 minutes to help it thicken and reduce. Return the chicken and veggies, stir to coat and serve.

Option 2. Remove the chicken to a plate, cover and keep warm. Mash together 2 tablespoons of softened butter with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Add the mixture - which is called a beurre manie - to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the chicken, stir to coat and serve.

Ta da. You are good to go.

A white plate of coq au vin with mashed potatoes with chunks of bread to the side and a cast iron pot in the background.

OK, let’s get ready to eat. Cause you’re going to want to dive in.

Serving Ideas:

  • Serve over mashed potatoes to soak up some of that amazing sauce.
  • Or serve with polenta. It pairs well with the sauce too. (As does risotto if you are really making a fancy meal.)
  • Some people love coq au vin with buttered egg noodles as the base.
  • Or serve it up with some crusty hunks of bread for dipping into the sauce.

If you’re looking for a green veggie to go along with it, green beans or asparagus would be great here. Green beans almondine are an easy, elegant side.

Last thing, let’s talk about what to do with any leftovers.

Once cooled, leftover coq au vin can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. 

I recommend you slice the chicken before reheating in a pan on the stove. This helps it reheat more quickly, without drying out.

Coq au vin served over mashed potatoes on a white plate with a fork resting on the side.

There you have it. Fancy French dishes have nothing on you.

I hope you give this a try the next time you need an impressive dish that’s not gonna stress you out. 

(And I'd love for you to leave a comment and review below. You can also tag me on Instagram - I love seeing when you make my recipes!)

And on that note, happy holidays to you and yours!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Yield: 6 servings

Easy Coq au Vin

Close up of coq au vin served over mashed potatoes on a white plate with a fork resting on the side.

Easy Coq au Vin is a braised chicken and mushroom dish in a red wine sauce that’s elegant and incredibly delicious, as well as really quick and easy to make at home.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 slices center cut or thick cut bacon, chopped
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • ½ to 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, quartered
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • ¾ cup low sodium chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Cook bacon in a large deep pan over medium heat until crisp. Remove and leave drippings in the pan.
  2. In a small bowl, combine flour, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Dredge the chicken thighs in the flour mixture to coat on both sides.
  3. Increase the heat to medium high. Add the chicken to the pan with the bacon drippings and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. (It will finish cooking later.)
  4. Add enough oil to the pan to have 1 tablespoon total drippings. Add the onion, mushrooms, carrots, tomato paste and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, until veggies have started to soften.
  5. Add the wine and broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes.
  6. Return the chicken thighs to the pan, turn to coat in the sauce, then reduce heat to medium low to maintain a steady simmer. Cook 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. (If the sauce isn't thickened to your liking, see notes below for 2 different ways to thicken it.) Stir the bacon into the sauce and serve hot.

Notes

Bacon: Use a thick, good quality bacon for this recipe so you not only render the fat but have decent sized pieces to mix into the sauce. Lardons would be perfect, but a thick cut bacon works just fine, too. You can also substitute pancetta if you prefer.

Chicken: Chicken thighs are a must here for their extra flavor and richness. Using boneless, skinless helps reduce the cook time and make this a quicker recipe. Adjust the cook time if you use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks.

Mushrooms: The flavor of cremini mushrooms works great here, or you could substitute baby Bella mushrooms.

Red wine: Choose a dry red wine like a Cabernet or Burgundy, such as Pinot Noir. Make sure it’s one you would drink and that you like the flavor.

How to thicken sauce:

  1. Remove the chicken and veggies to a plate, cover and keep warm. Increase the heat to medium and cook the sauce for 4-5 minutes to help it thicken and reduce. Return the chicken and veggies, stir to coat and serve. OR
  2. Remove the chicken to a plate, cover and keep warm. Mash together 2 tablespoons of softened butter with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Add the mixture - which is called a beurre manie - to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the chicken, stir to coat and serve.

Serving ideas:

  • Serve over mashed potatoes to soak up some of that amazing sauce.
  • Or serve with polenta. It pairs well with the sauce too.
  • Some people love coq au vin with buttered egg noodles as the base.
  • Or serve it up with some crusty hunks of bread for dipping into the sauce.

Leftovers: Once cooled, leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. I recommend you slice the chicken before reheating in a pan on the stove. This helps it reheat more quickly, without drying out.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 540mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 40g
© Kathryn Doherty
Cuisine: French / Category: Chicken

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Comments

  1. Tina Marie Allen

    Could I use beef broth instead of chicken

    Reply

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