Coq Au Vin

Fabulous sauce highlight tender chicken, mushrooms and onions. So good you want a spoon for the sauce but use some crusty French bread to sop it up and a simple green salad. Julia serves it with roasted potatoes and little green peas. Mashed potatoes would be good as well.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut onto parts a good idea to halve the breasts so all of the pieces cook evenly
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups good red wine such as a pinot noir or cotes du rhone
2 cups chicken or beef broth, homemade if possible
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 fresh sprig
2 bay leaves
1 lb white mushrooms, quartered
1 sweet onion, cut into small wedges or peeled pearl onions (Julia's preference)
3 tbsp butter at room temperature
3 tbsp flour

Instructions

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven .Brown the chicken skin side first until golden and crispy on medium heat. Turn and brown the other side as well. About 10-15 minutes total.
Remove from heat and add the wine, bay leaves, thyme and enough broth to cover the chicken. Stir tomato paste into liquid around chicken.
Place in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover for 10 minutes while preparing the vegetables.
Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter to a sauté pan. Cook onions until tender and slightly browned. Add mushrooms and cook until tender and liquid is out. There can be a slight brown on them as well.
After 10 minutes, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a plate. In a small bowl, add 2 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp of flour and stir until it is a smooth paste. Using a wire whisk, incorporate the paste into the sauce over medium heat until bubbling and starting to thicken.
Add mushrooms and onions and chicken back to the pan and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes more.
Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.

Keyword chicken and wine, cog au vin