One-Pot Wonders

Coq au Vin

by:
August  8, 2015
5
7 Ratings
Coq au Vin
Photo by Steph Avalos-Bock
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

Julia Child's famous recipe begins in the best way possible: sautéing bacon in a generous amount of butter (and it only gets better from there). My version (created by reading many versions and closely following none of them) is surprisingly easy for such a showstopper. It does take some time, so gather friends and extra wine and enjoy the aromas!

(Note: You'll notice this doesn't require any oven time, and doesn't concern itself with taking the meat out before boiling since the excess of liquid makes it super tender regardless. It also doesn't involve pouring out any bacon fat because... are you crazy? However, this version does lack the pearl onions and mushrooms, which *are* important (and easy). I'll try to add them soon!)

(Note: The picture is most of the way through making boeuf bourguignon, which is the same thing with beef. Enjoy!) —Steph Avalos-Bock

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2-3 pieces of bacon
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1-2 pounds chicken, cut into small bite-sized pieces
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 bottle red wine (traditionally Burgundy or Côtes du Rhône, but it's more important to use something you like)
  • 2 cups beef broth (Better than Bouillon is fantastic here)
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt + pepper
  • 3 tablespoons flour
Directions
  1. In a large pot, sauté that bacon in 2 tablespoons butter! When it's crispy, chop it and set it aside.
  2. Sauté the garlic, onions, and carrots for a few minutes, until softened but not mushy.
  3. Add the chicken, and cook, stirring frequently, until cooked on the outside.
  4. Add bacon, tomato paste, red wine, beef broth, thyme, and bay leaf, and mix well. Cook on fairly high heat until sauce is reduced, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Notice how the flavors come together as it cooks, and add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Mix the other 2 tablespoons of butter into the flour, and then whisk into the sauce. Cook for another 5-10 minutes to further thicken the sauce, until it's to your liking,
  6. Serve with crispy bread and your favorite red wine!
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4 Reviews

GDawg777
GDawg777 November 21, 2022
Y'all-not only is this delicious-but super approachable and able to be modded. (I did a Japanese-French take on this)

I cooked the chicken in the rendered bacon fat-set it aside, then sauteed the onions and mushrooms in the bacon and chicken renderings with some olive oil and chili-garlic infused oil. From there I added root vegetables and garlic and seasoned them with Soy sauce to give them some umami flavor.

Once the vegetables were translucent and the onions jammy, I threw the chicken back in and did a final deglaze with red wine, stock, butter, and tomato paste, and instead of a flour roux to thicken it-I used a Japanese curry roux block instead! It gave a good spice and real depth of flavor. And instead of thyme, I threw a sprig of fresh rosemary and the allotted bay leaf. Came out wonderful!

Reminded of the "Wafu" and "Yoshoku" style foods I ate at the Japanese ran french hole in the walls when I lived in Tokyo. Frenched trained chefs that bring unique Japanese diaspora flavors into these classic french country style dishes. Anyway-10/10-very adaptable and pantry friendly.
 
Steph A.
Steph A. November 21, 2022
Very cool! I'm glad you enjoyed!
 
Hannah
Hannah December 27, 2021
Absolutely the best coq au vin recipe. We swap the bacon for pancetta and double up the carrots.
 
doylewwww
doylewwww December 18, 2023
This lady knows her stuff!