Move over, Julia Child. There’s a new coq au vin recipe in the house.
And it’s way easier to make than you think.
Why is coq au vin the book-inspired recipe for Greenwich Park?
There’s a lot of drinking in Greenwich Park, especially when it comes to main character Rachel. This pregnant woman is often found with a bottle in her hand, much to the alarm of those around her. Because, well, PREGNANT.
(The fact that Rachel’s totally okay with drinking while preggo should have been a tip-off to many a-thing in Greenwich Park. But, moving on.)
Since Rachel’s usually guzzling red wine, I thought coq au vin (loosely translated as “chicken in wine”) would be the perfect book-inspired recipe for Greenwich Park.
Coq au vin is also a dish I could see other main characters Helen and her sister-in-law Serena serving up at one of the fancy dinner parties they like to host.
What is coq au vin?
Coq au vin is a French casserole dish of chicken and veggies braised in rich red wine. It’s warm and comforting and makes your house smell like heaven.
French foodie heaven.
While most French recipes can be intimidating, I’ve created an easy version of coq au vin that brings you all the classic flavors of this dish without all the hard work.
Here’s a quick summary: You cook some bacon. Then, you sauté onions, mushrooms, and carrots in the bacon grease (yaaaaasssss). Then, you sear the chicken. Finally, you douse the whole thing in red wine and let it simmer away for a few hours. Et voilà.
What to know about making coq au vin
While coq au vin isn’t difficult to make, it is a recipe that you need to babysit. There are quite a few steps to creating this wonderful chicken dish, and you can’t rush them. Each step adds another layer of flavor and builds anticipation for the meal ahead.
Coq au vin is the perfect meal to cook on a lazy Sunday afternoon when you have nowhere to go and no place to be — except maybe your country house in Provence for the weekend. (#dreambig, everyone.)
So, pull your apron on over your coziest sweater and stretchiest pants, press play on your latest podcast, and get ready to cook the heartiest French supper this side of the Atlantic.
Why I love this recipe for Coq Au Vin
This was my first time making coq au vin, so I researched a lot of recipes before trying my own and tipping in that *gasp* $14 bottle of red wine. I quickly discovered that many “traditional” coq au vins require a lot more ingredients and a lot more steps than I enjoy.
I don’t want a lot of fuss; I just want a lot of flavor. A lot of tender, braised chicken, easy-to-access veggies, and the most decadently glossy red wine sauce imaginable.
That’s what I’m bringing you here. This version of coq au vin is scaled back to include only the veggies I enjoy-slash-can-get-my-hands-on, and it doesn’t require any fancy cooking techniques.
Some liberties I took with my coq au vin recipe:
- This entire recipe is made in one pot, right on the stovetop. So, there’s no need to turn on your oven or go through a bajllion pans to make coq au vin.
- I like my bacon crispy. And, I like it to stay crispy. So, instead of tossing the cooked bacon back into the pot to braise with the chicken and veggies, I decided to use it as a garnish right before serving. Say it with me: bacon garnish.
- I left out the pearl onions because it’s not 1952 anymore and no one eats pearl onions. Bleck.
- While most coq au vin recipes tell you to use dark meat chicken, I laughed in the face of tradition and used bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Which, incidentally, were HUGE at my supermarket, so please note that this recipe can easily accommodate up to four normal-size chicken breasts.
- I didn’t use any butter or oil in my coq au vin. As much as I appreciate the Francophone love of butter, this dish does not need more fat since everything is cooked in bacon drippings. In the words of Ina Garten, How bad can that be? (Spoiler: It’s not bad. It’s wonderful.)
What do you serve with Coq au Vin?
You definitely want to serve coq au vin with a starchy side dish to soak up all the savory sauce. The simple egg noodles I cooked up to go along with this meal were perfect, but some polenta or couscous would be great, too. You could also tear a French sourdough baguette or bake some Sally Lunn Buns if you like bread with your meal.
Keep the warm, cozy vibes going for dessert with chocolate-dipped Spiced Walnut Cookies, a slice of Blueberry Molasses Cake, or indulgent Millionaire Shortbread.
Oh, and if you need to use up any leftover red wine? This Red Wine Chocolate Cake is just the ticket.
Simple Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 5 slices raw bacon, diced
- 2-4 bone-in chicken breasts
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 8 oz sliced button mushrooms
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1.5 cups red wine
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- handful of fresh thyme (with stems)
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- 4 tsp cold water
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Chop your carrots, onions, shallots, and your mushrooms if didn’t buy them pre-sliced. Set aside.
- Dice raw bacon. Set aside.
- Line a plate with a paper towel. Set aside.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and the cold water. Set aside.
- Liberally season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Use a large skillet with deep sides and a lid (you can also use a Dutch oven or a Braiser). Place skillet over medium-high heat and fry the diced bacon until crispy, about 15 minutes. Transfer the bacon to the paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
- Increase the heat under the skillet to high (careful for splatter!) and brown the chicken breasts, skin-side down, in the bacon grease until golden brown, 2-4 minutes. Flip chicken and brown the other side for another 2-4 minutes. Remove browned chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Lower the heat under the skillet to medium-high. Add the carrots, onions, shallot, and mushrooms to the skillet and stir to coat with the bacon and chicken drippings. Sauté the veggies until golden and soft, about 15 minutes.
- Carefully pour the red wine into the skillet, deglazing the bottom by scraping up any brown bits. Bring the wine to a boil and let simmer until it’s reduced by about 1/3, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and add the thyme sprigs, then stir to combine. Nestle the chicken breasts back into the skillet among the veggies.
- Cover the skillet and reduce heat to low. Let coq au vin simmer for 20-30 minutes, basting the chicken breasts every 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Uncover the skillet, remove the thyme sprigs, and let the coq au vin continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir the cornstarch mixture from earlier into the skillet, then let simmer another 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve coq au vin immediately over noodles, mashed potatoes, polenta, etc. Garnish with cooked bacon pieces before serving.
