Coq Au Vin, which literally translates to “Rooster in Wine,” is the beautiful French dish of chicken braised with wine, vegetables, and fresh herbs. Similar to beef bourguignon (made famous thanks to Julia Child!), this dish involves sauteing onions and garlic, searing meat, and releasing bacon fat before pouring over wine and letting it slowly simmer in a dutch oven. The braising cooking method means that both high heat (for searing and sauteing) and low heat (letting the dish slowly cook in liquid) are used, which results in incredible flavor and tender, fall-off-the-bone meat.

There are countless variations to Coq Au Vin. Some prefer using small pearl onions to chopped onions, pancetta to bacon, wine and cognac, or only chicken thighs – proof that you can customize this dish to your own taste!

For this recipe, I started off by cooking diced bacon in a dutch oven, then transferred them to a paper towel lined plate. Using the reserved drippings, I seasoned a combination of chicken thighs and drumsticks with salt and pepper, then seared them over high heat. I transferred these to another paper towel lined plate, and then sauteed carrots, onions, shallots, mushrooms, and garlic, until tender. I added equal parts butter and flour to create a roux. After a few minutes I added red wine to deglaze the pan, added back the bacon, thyme, chicken broth, and the chicken, brought it to a simmer, and then placed it in a preheated oven to finish cooking. It sounds like a lot of steps, but I promise it’s easy to put together once you get started!

We served our Coq Au Vin over buttered egg noodles, but this would be just as good with mashed potatoes, rice, or a loaf of crusty French bread to mop up all that delicious gravy. It’s a wonderful dish that can be made ahead of time and reheated over the stove the next day for company!