Coq au Vin

Description

Coq au Vin - Authentic recipe from France. Ready in 115 min. Try it now!

1. 1

   Cut the chicken (1.5 kg) into 8 pieces or buy it already cut up. Place the pieces in a large bowl, pour 750 ml of dry red wine over them, and add 2 crushed garlic cloves and the bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley). Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight (at least 12 hours).

   ⏱️ approx. 15 min

   💡 Tip: Traditionally, a rooster about one year old and weighing 3 kg is used—today, people usually use a young chicken or a soup chicken. A soup chicken takes longer to braise but yields a richer flavor.

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2. 2

   The next day, remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry thoroughly with paper towels. Pour the marinade through a strainer into a saucepan, setting aside the bouquet garni and garlic. Bring the marinade to a boil and skim off the foam.

   ⏱️ approx. 10 min

   💡 Tip: Bringing the marinade to a boil and skimming off the foam removes protein-based cloudiness—the sauce will be clearer and have a cleaner flavor later on.

3. 3

   Cut 150 g of smoked bacon into thin strips (lardons) and render them in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat for 5 minutes, until crispy. Remove the lardons with a slotted spoon and set aside. Leave the bacon fat in the pot.

   ⏱️ approx. 6 min

   💡 Tip: Bacon with a thick layer of fat works better than leaner cuts—the rendered fat adds depth and flavor to the sauce.

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4. 4

   Lightly dust the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of flour and sear them on all sides in the bacon fat along with 25 g of butter until they have a golden-brown crust. Work in batches so the pot doesn’t get too full. Then remove them and set aside.

   ⏱️ approx. 10 min

   💡 Tip: Don't overcrowd the pan—otherwise the meat will steam instead of browning, and no caramelized flavors will develop.

5. 5

   Sauté 200 g of pearl onions (peeled) in the same pot for 5 minutes until golden brown, then remove them. Next, sauté 250 g of button mushrooms (quartered) for 5 minutes as well, then remove them. Set both aside separately—they will be added to the pot later.

   ⏱️ approx. 12 min

   💡 Tip: Sauté the mushrooms separately because they release a lot of liquid. If you braise them together with the chicken, they’ll turn mushy.

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6. 6

   Return the chicken pieces to the pot. Pour 3 tablespoons of cognac over them and carefully flambé—once the flame has died down, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and sauté for 1 minute. Deglaze with the prepared marinade and 250 ml of chicken stock. Return the bouquet garni and garlic to the pot.

   ⏱️ approx. 8 min

   💡 Tip: Flambéing burns off the alcohol in the cognac and concentrates the flavors. Remove the pot from the heat and stand back when lighting it.

7. 7

   Cover and simmer gently over low heat for 1.5 hours. After 1 hour, add the sautéed pearl onions; after 1.25 hours, add the mushrooms and bacon lardons. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

   ⏱️ approx. 90 min

   💡 Tip: The sauce should not boil vigorously, but only simmer gently—otherwise the meat will become dry and tough. If using a soup chicken, braise for an additional 30 minutes if necessary.

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8. 8

   Remove the chicken pieces, mushrooms, pearl onions, and bacon from the pot using a slotted spoon and keep them warm. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a smaller pot and reduce it over medium heat until it is reduced to two-thirds of its original volume.

   ⏱️ approx. 12 min

   💡 Tip: Reducing the sauce concentrates the flavors and gives it its dark, velvety texture.

9. 9

   To thicken the sauce the traditional way, stir 25 g of cold butter, cut into small pieces, into the hot sauce (monter au beurre) — alternatively, whisk 1 tbsp of chicken stock with a little sauce and add it while stirring constantly (do not bring to a boil again!). Pour the sauce over the plated meat and vegetables.

   ⏱️ approx. 5 min

   💡 Tip: Chicken blood is the traditional thickener—it gives the sauce a particularly deep color and velvety texture. Today, most chefs replace it with butter (monter au beurre).

10. 10

    Sprinkle with freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve immediately—served the classic way with boiled potatoes or ribbon pasta, accompanied by a glass of Burgundy from the same bottle used for cooking.

    ⏱️ approx. 3 min

    💡 Tip: Coq au vin tastes even better the next day—the flavors meld together as it sits overnight. If possible, cook the dish a day in advance and reheat it slowly on the night you plan to serve it.