Coq au vin casserole of chicken in red wine

The first time I made coq au vin for one of my Le Creuset cooking demonstrations, I was convinced that I was either going to burn my eyebrows off or injure some innocent bystander. Flambéing is dramatic, and always gets my heart racing with that noise it makes as it ignites. Yet the drama is part of the fun, as you always get some “oohs” and “aahs” when people see those flames shoot up in the air. This recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonoma and the queen of coq au vin, Julia Child.

4 tablespoons (60 ml) clarified butter
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
2 cups (200 g) pearl onions or sliced yellow onions
4 skin-on chicken breasts and 4 skin-on chicken thighs, or an assortment of chicken that equals about 4 pounds (2 kg)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) almond flour
2 tablespoons warm brandy
2 cups (500 mL) pinot noir or other medium-bodied red wine
½ tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
~ salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups (250 g) button mushrooms, halved

1. In a large Dutch oven over medium/medium-low heat, melt 3 of the tablespoons of butter.
2. Add the bacon and onions, stir, and cook until bacon is somewhat browned and crispy (about 10 minutes). Transfer the bacon and onions to a plate and set aside.
3. Bring the heat up to medium high, and add the chicken, turning as needed to ensure all sides brown. Sprinkle the almond flour on the chicken, and turn, cooking until golden brown. Remove the Dutch oven from the stove, pour in the brandy over the chicken and let get hot for a moment, and immediately ignite with a long match. The flames will subside in a few seconds.
4. Stir the bacon and onions back into the chicken, and place back on the stove over medium heat. Add in 1 cup (250 mL) of the wine, and scrape up any of the fond (brown bits) that may be on the bottom of your pan.
5. Add in the rest of the wine and all the remaining ingredients except the mushrooms and 1 remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir and bring heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 45–60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
6. About 20 minutes before the chicken is done, in a small sauté pan melt the butter and sauté the mushrooms until golden brown. Add these to the chicken.
7. This part is optional, but highly recommended: using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the chicken, mushrooms, onions and bacon to a platter. Raise the heat in the pan up to high, bring to a boil, and cook until liquid has thickened slightly and is reduced by about half. Return the chicken, mushrooms, onion and bacon back to the pan, heat through for a few minutes, and serve.

Tips & Tricks—Please use caution with the brandy, and don’t decide that you’re going to up the amount of alcohol to some crazy amount (more alcohol = more of a bonfire effect), and please don’t pour directly from the bottle. This is a serious hazard and could cause the flames to ignite the contents of the bottle. As stated with other recipes that use alcohol in cooking, if you prefer not to use, that is just fine too (but it won’t taste quite the same). Replace the wine and brandy with some chicken stock and add just a touch of balsamic vinegar for some tangy flavor.

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Coq au vin casserole of chicken in red wine is French comfort cooking at its most soulful. Bacon, pearl onions, and chicken brown together in one Dutch oven before being bathed in pinot noir, herbs, and tomato paste, then finished with golden sautéed mushrooms and a splash of flaming brandy.

Pro Tips

• Get real browning on the chicken before the wine goes in — the fond that sticks to the pan is what gives the finished sauce its deep, glossy flavour.
• The brandy flambé is optional but burns off the harsh alcohol edge in seconds; tilt the pan away from you and use a long match, and the flames die down on their own.
• A small spoon of almond flour sprinkled over the browning chicken lightly thickens the sauce without muting the wine.
• Sauté the mushrooms separately in butter at the end and stir them in late so they stay meaty and golden instead of going grey and spongy in the braise.
• This dish is famously better the next day: cool it overnight in the fridge, lift off the set fat, and reheat gently for an even richer sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

What wine should I use for coq au vin?

A medium-bodied pinot noir is the classic choice — something you'd happily drink, since it becomes the backbone of the sauce. Avoid heavy, oaky reds that turn bitter when reduced.

Can I make coq au vin ahead of time?

Yes, and you should if you can. The flavours deepen overnight; refrigerate the finished braise, remove the solidified fat from the top, and reheat gently with the mushrooms stirred back in.

Is coq au vin paleo?

This version is — there's no flour for thickening (just a little almond flour), the fat is clarified butter, and the sauce relies on wine and tomato paste rather than any dairy or refined ingredients.

Can I skip the flambé step?

Of course. Simply add the warm brandy and let it bubble for a minute so the alcohol cooks off before you add the wine. The flambé is mostly for show and a touch of flavour concentration.

Recipe Card

Stav Kogan

Coq au vin casserole of chicken in red wine

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Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 4 tbsp clarified butter
• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
• 2 cups (200 g) pearl onions or sliced yellow onions
• 4 skin-on chicken breasts and 4 skin-on chicken thighs, or an assortment of chicken that equals about 4 pounds (2 kg)
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 2 tbsp warm brandy
• 2 cups (500 mL) pinot noir or other medium-bodied red wine
• ½ tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups (250 g) button mushrooms, halved
• About 20 minutes before the chicken is done, in a small sauté pan melt the butter and sauté the mushrooms until golden brown. Add these to the chicken.

Method

 

1. In a large Dutch oven over medium/medium-low heat, melt 3 of the tablespoons of butter.
2. Add the bacon and onions, stir, and cook until bacon is somewhat browned and crispy (about 10 minutes).
3. Transfer the bacon and onions to a plate and set aside.
4. Bring the heat up to medium high, and add the chicken, turning as needed to ensure all sides brown.
5. Sprinkle the almond flour on the chicken, and turn, cooking until golden brown.
6. Remove the Dutch oven from the stove, pour in the brandy over the chicken and let get hot for a moment, and immediately ignite with a long match. The flames will subside in a few seconds.
7. Stir the bacon and onions back into the chicken, and place back on the stove over medium heat.
8. Add in 1 cup (250 mL) of the wine, and scrape up any of the fond (brown bits) that may be on the bottom of your pan.
9. Add in the rest of the wine and all the remaining ingredients except the mushrooms and 1 remaining tablespoon of butter.
10. Stir and bring heat to low.
11. Cover and let simmer for 45–60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
This part is optional, but highly recommended: using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the chicken, mushrooms, onions and bacon to a platter. Raise the heat in the pan up to high, bring to a boil, and cook until liquid has thickened slightly and is reduced by about half. Return the chicken, mushrooms, onion and bacon back to the pan, heat through for a few minutes, and serve.

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