Julia Child's Coq au Vin Recipe

Julia Child's Coq au vin recipe is the classic French dish of chicken braised in red wine with bacon, pearl onions, and mushrooms. It's comfort food at it's finest!

Course Entree

Cuisine French

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings servings

Calories 904kcal

Author Karrie | Tasty Ever After

Ingredients

3 pound chicken pieces, can use boneless or bone-in
4 ounces bacon
½ pound button mushrooms
12-24 fresh pearl onions, peeled and a small "X" cut in bottom of each root stem
2-3 cups dry red wine, like a Burgundy
1-2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup cognac
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

FOR BEURRE MANIÉ:

3 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoon flour

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cut bacon into strips and saute over medium heat until light brown in a heavy bottomed, large casserole or dutch oven. Remove and set aside, leaving bacon fat in the pan.
Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, add a few teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if needed, and brown chicken on all sides. Return bacon to the pan with the chicken, cover and simmer for 10 minutes (skip this 10 minute cooking step if using boneless chicken).
Uncover pan, increase heat to medium-high, add cognac and flambe (or just reduce slightly until some of alcohol evaporates). Add red wine and reduce slightly. Reduce heat to low, add stock, stir in tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, heat a teaspoon or two of olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium-high, add the pearl onions and saute until browned. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup of water to the pan (enough to cover the bottom and come up half way to onions), cover and steam them until tender, about 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Remove the cooked onions to a bowl.
Using the same medium skillet, heat a teaspoon or two of olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the mushrooms until light brown. Add the cooked mushrooms to the onion in the bowl and set aside.
When chicken is finished cooking, remove from pan and skim off excessive fat.
Make the beurre manié by creaming butter and flour together in small bowl. Heat the chicken cooking liquid over medium heat and beat the beurre manié into the liquid with a whisk. Simmer for a few minutes or until sauce is thickened.
Add chicken back to pan with the cooked onions and mushrooms. Stir well, taste and adjust seasonings, then simmer for a just few minutes to pull all flavors together and to heat everything through.

Notes

Adapted from Julia Child's classic recipe
Store leftover Coq au vin in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days

Nutrition