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Coq au Vin

Chicken braised in red wine

120min
909kcal
47.8gprotein
Coq au Vin — French recipe, finished and plated
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Ingredients

Servings 6
  • 1500 g Chicken pieces (legs + thighs)
  • 150 g Bacon
  • 750 ml Red wine
  • 250 ml Chicken stock
  • 1 Yellow onion
  • 1 Carrot
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 250 g Button mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
  • 60 g Butter
  • 3 sprigs Thyme
  • 1½ tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Black pepper
  • 60 ml Cognac / Brandy (optional)
  • 1 Bay leaves (optional)
  • 3 sprigs Parsley (optional)

Method

  1. Before you turn on any heat, get everything ready: pat the chicken dry. Dice the bacon, onion, and carrot. Smash the garlic. Tie the parsley stems, thyme, and bay leaves into a small bundle with kitchen string so you can lift them out at the end.
  2. Render the bacon in the Dutch oven over medium 5 minutes. Lift to a bowl, leave the fat.
  3. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown skin-side down 5 min per side in the bacon fat over medium-high. Work in batches. Lift onto the bacon plate.
  4. Pour off all but a thin film of fat. Add onion and carrot. Sweat 6 minutes over medium without browning.
  5. Add garlic and tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour and stir 1 minute.
  6. Pour in the cognac. Bubble 30 seconds. Add wine and stock, scraping up the fond (the flavourful browned bits) from the base.
  7. Return the chicken (skin up) and bacon, tuck in the bouquet garni. Bring to a simmer.
  8. Cover and braise on lowest heat 50 minutes until the chicken is just falling off the bone.
  9. Meanwhile quarter the mushrooms. Melt half the butter in the skillet over medium-high. Sauté the mushrooms 6 minutes until deep golden. Set aside.
  10. Lift the chicken onto a plate. Discard the bouquet garni. Reduce the sauce on high 8 minutes until it coats a spoon. Skim fat.
  11. Return chicken and mushrooms. Off heat, swirl in the remaining cold butter to glaze.
  12. Scatter parsley. Serve with potatoes or buttered noodles.

Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.

About Coq au Vin

Coq au vin is the classic French braise that transforms tough rooster—or in modern practice, dark chicken meat—into tender, wine-glazed morsels by slow-cooking in a red wine bath. The dish belongs to the tradition of French rustic cooking, where humble ingredients and time replace expensive cuts and quick techniques. What makes it work is the alchemy of braising: the acidity in the wine tenderizes while the long simmer infuses the chicken with deep, wine-dark flavor, and the rendered fat from the bacon creates a silky foundation. The method matters as much as the ingredients—browning the chicken properly builds flavor before the braise, and finishing with a mushroom-and-onion garnish that's been cooked separately adds textural contrast the stewed vegetables alone cannot provide.

Coq au vin tastes like comfort and sophistication in a single bowl: rich, savory, and slightly wine-forward without being sharp, with earthy mushroom notes and the gentle sweetness of caramelized pearl onions. The chicken falls apart easily, and the braising liquid thickens naturally as the meat releases its collagen, becoming glossy and cling-to-the-spoon. It's a dish that demands time (over two hours) but rewards you with a centerpiece that looks more impressive than its effort suggests. Serve it family-style with crusty bread or over egg noodles, with nothing more than a green salad alongside—the wine and the meat are the entire story.

Coq au Vin: frequently asked questions

What does "coq au vin" mean?

"Coq au vin" is French for "rooster (or cock) in wine," referring to the classic braise of chicken cooked slowly in red wine with lardons, mushrooms, and pearl onions. The name literally reflects the original dish: a tough old rooster (coq) was stewed for hours in wine to tenderize the meat, though today it's almost always made with ordinary chicken. It's a rustic dish from France, most associated with the Burgundy region, where the wine is typically a local red like a Pinot Noir.

How many calories are in Coq au Vin?

A serving has about 909 calories — 47.8g protein, 13.6g carbs, 60.3g fat, 1.9g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.

Is it high in protein?

Each serving has about 47.8g of protein, roughly 21% of its calories.

Is Coq au Vin gluten-free?

As written, no — it contains All-purpose flour. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.

Is Coq au Vin dairy-free?

Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.

How long does Coq au Vin take to make?

About 120 minutes start to finish, but only around 59 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.

Do I need every ingredient to make Coq au Vin?

The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out cognac / brandy, bay leaves, parsley — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.

How many servings does Coq au Vin make?

This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.