Coq au Vin

Name: Coq au Vin
Prep time: 85 min
Cook time: 95 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: french
Ingredients: 7½ dl full-bodied red Burgundy; 1 onion, cut into thick wedges; 1 carrot, cut into thick slices; 3 clove garlic, crushed with the flat side of a knife; 4 sprig fresh thyme; 2 leaf bay leaf; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 2 kg whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces; 200 g sliced smoked bacon, cut into thick cubes; 2 tbsp all-purpose flour; ½ dl cognac; 3 dl chicken stock; salt; black pepper, freshly ground; 300 g pearl onions, peeled; 300 g small mushrooms, halved; 40 g butter; 1 tsp sugar; 1 dl water; 1 kg potatoes, small; 20 g butter; ½ bunch fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

Chicken marinated and braised in red wine with bacon, pearl onions, and mushrooms, where cognac gives the dark sauce depth.

🍽️ 4 servings⏱️ 3 h (1 h 25 min active)french

The chicken first steeps overnight in wine, then is browned thoroughly and simmers a long while in the sauce you build. While the pot takes care of itself, you make the glossy pearl onions, golden mushrooms, and potatoes, before the sauce is reduced around it all. The deep browning of the chicken determines the dish's dark, rich flavor.

Ingredients

The marinade

7½ dl full-bodied red Burgundy
1 onion, cut into thick wedges
1 carrot, cut into thick slices
3 clove garlic, crushed with the flat side of a knife
4 sprig fresh thyme
2 leaf bay leaf
1 tsp black peppercorns

The pot

2 kg whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
200 g sliced smoked bacon, cut into thick cubes
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ dl cognac
3 dl chicken stock
salt
black pepper, freshly ground

The garnish

300 g pearl onions, peeled
300 g small mushrooms, halved
40 g butter
1 tsp sugar
1 dl water

To serve

1 kg potatoes, small
20 g butter
½ bunch fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

How to make it

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl with the onion wedges and carrot slices. Add the crushed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Pour the red wine over, so the meat is just covered. Cover the bowl and refrigerate (see Advance Prep). ⏱ 10 min
Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and pat them completely dry with paper towels, since wet meat steams instead of browning. Strain the marinade, and set the wine and vegetables aside separately.
Cook the bacon cubes in a heavy pot over medium heat for 8 minutes, until the fat has rendered clear and the cubes are golden and crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind in the pot.
Brown the dried chicken pieces in the bacon fat over medium-high heat in two batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Turn them only once — they're ready when the skin side is deep golden brown and releases from the pot on its own. Transfer them to a platter. ⏱ 15 min
Chef's tip Leave a finger's width between the pieces. A crowded pot traps steam, the surface stays near 100°C and the skin greys instead of browning — you'll hear a sharp crackle turn into a dull murmur.
Add the strained marinade vegetables to the pot and sauté over medium heat for 6 minutes, until the wine clinging to them has cooked off and the onion wedges are glossy and beginning to soften.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 2 minutes, until the flour has disappeared into the fat and smells toasted. It's the flour that thickens the sauce later.
Chef's tip Raw flour tastes chalky and clouds the sauce; the fat has to coat every grain before liquid arrives, or you get lumps. The paste should smell faintly of toasted biscuit and cling to the vegetables.
Pour in the cognac and let it reduce for 1 minute while you scrape up the bottom with a wooden spoon. That way the browned bits join the sauce instead of burning onto the pot.
Pour the strained marinade wine and the chicken stock into the pot and stir until no flour lumps remain. Bring it to a boil for 3 minutes, until the surface bubbles evenly.
Return the browned chicken pieces and half the bacon cubes to the pot, and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and let the dish simmer very gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the meat is tender and pulls from the bone without resistance. ⏱ 1 h 15 min · passive
Melt 25 g of the butter from the garnish in a pan over medium heat, and add the pearl onions with the sugar and water. Let them simmer uncovered for 12 minutes, rolling the pan now and then, until the water has boiled away and the onions are glossy and tender all the way through. ⏱ 10 min
Remove the glazed pearl onions and add the rest of the butter from the garnish to the pan. Cook the mushrooms over high heat for 6 minutes without stirring them too much. They're ready when the liquid has evaporated and the edges are golden.
Chef's tip Mushrooms are mostly water and will not colour until it has boiled off, so give them a wide pan and leave them alone. First they go grey and wet, then the pan dries and the edges take gold.
Scrub the potatoes and cook them in a pot with plenty of lightly salted water for 20 minutes, until a knife slides into the largest one without resistance. ⏱ 20 min · passive
Drain the water from the potatoes and let them steam dry in the pot for a moment. Toss them gently with the butter for serving, until they're glossy all over.
Fold the glazed pearl onions, the sautéed mushrooms, and the remaining bacon cubes into the pot. Let the dish reduce uncovered for 10 minutes, until the sauce is dark and coats the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. ⏱ 10 min
Chef's tip Tilt the pot and spoon off the fat pooling at the edge before you reduce — otherwise it concentrates along with the sauce and coats the palate greasily rather than tasting of wine.
Set the pot in the middle of the table and let everyone ladle a piece of chicken into a deep plate with pearl onions, mushrooms, and plenty of sauce. Place the potatoes alongside, and sprinkle the coarsely chopped parsley over.