Easy Coq au Vin
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.
Yield: 6 servings
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
- Cook bacon in a large deep pan over medium heat until crisp. Remove and leave drippings in the pan.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.
- Add the wine and broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes.
- 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:
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 540mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g
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