Food & Recipes

Coq au Vin

chicken in wine sauce with vegetables

Surely anytime I have the opportunity to say the words “Coq au Vin,” I do, just to sound fancy. But the truth is, all I’m saying is “Rooster in Wine,” and there’s nothing fancy about that.

Enjoy this easy recipe for the traditional French red wine-soaked chicken Coq au Vin. It cooks all day and the aromas alone are worth the time. Impress yourself and your friends with this easy chicken dinner. This dish goes great with Nicoise Salad.

cooking information

• Yield: 12 Drumsticks
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cooking Time: 180 minutes

all ingredients

• 12 Chicken Drumsticks
• 1 Bag Frozen Pearl Onions
• 1 12 oz Bag Baby Carrots
• 6 Portabella Mushrooms
• 1 Box Chicken Stock
• 3 Cups Red Wine
• 1 Can Tomato Sauce
• 3 Dried Bay Leaves
• 5 Sprigs Thyme
• 3 Sprigs Rosemary
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1/2 Cup Cold Water
• Olive Oil
• Flour
• Salt and Pepper

recipe instruction

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Chop your mushrooms into a medium dice, open your carrots and pearl onions.

3. Bring a large pot to medium high heat on the stovetop. Add about 4 Tbsp of olive oil. Once the olive oil is heated through, add your onions, carrots, mushrooms, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Saute together until the vegetables are tender.

4. Once the vegetables are cooked, add your drumsticks to the pot. Stir the herbs, vegetables, and chicken altogether so they are mixed throughout.

5. First add your tomato sauce, followed by your chicken stock and red wine. You want to add enough liquid to cover your chicken. Bring the concoction to a boil and cover with aluminum foil.

6. Place the pot in the oven for 2 hours, stirring the pot after the first hour to move the chicken around.

7. After 2 hours your chicken will be cooked. Remove the chicken legs from the pot and place the liquid, vegetables and herbs back on the burner to high heat.

8. In a small mixing bowl, combine your cornstarch and water. This is going to be your thickening agent called a slurry. Bring the cooking liquid to a bowl and stir in your cornstarch slurry.

9. Let the liquid cook until it has reduced by a third to half; this could take up to 30 minutes. When it is all finished, taste and add salt to taste (approximately 2 tsp) and pepper (1 tsp). Once completely thickened, set aside. If you let it sit a while the fat might separate from the dish but just stir together on medium-low heat.

10. Before service, add one inch deep of olive oil to a large saute pan. Turn to medium high heat. Dust your drumsticks with flour and flash fry the chicken. The chicken will already be completely cooked through but this will re-heat the chicken and give it a nice crust.

11. To serve, add a ladle full of the sauce to the bottom of the platter, layer the chicken, and add another ladle of gravy on top.

cooking tips

• Serve the drumsticks as appetizers, or cook the whole chicken in the same way or just the breast for more of an entrée option.
• For a more rustic feel I leave the vegetables in the sauce, however you if you want a more refined looking dish you can always take the vegetables and herbs out.
• The sauce and the chicken can be cooked up to 2 days in advance and then flash fried and reheated for a party.
• You can always double the recipe and it will take the same amount of time and feed twice the people.