Instead of using a rotisserie chicken, I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs to create coq au vin. The thigh and leg area of a bird would be a good choice since, like many braised foods, harder cuts with a lot of connective tissue perform well. Of course someone will inquire as to whether chicken breasts may be used; kindly do not. They simply won’t offer the same amount of gooey richness to the braising liquid as the thighs do.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 45 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 8 ounces bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
- 10 large button mushrooms, quartered
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Season chicken thighs all over with salt and black pepper.
- Sauté bacon in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving drippings in the skillet.
- Increase the heat to high and place chicken thighs, skin-side down, into the skillet. Cook until browned, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate; drain and discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the skillet.
- Lower the heat to medium-high; sauté mushrooms, onion, and shallots with a pinch of salt in the hot skillet until golden and caramelized, 7 to 12 minutes.
- Stir flour and butter into vegetable mixture until completely incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Pour red wine into the skillet and bring to a boil while scraping browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir bacon and thyme into red wine mixture; simmer until wine is about 1/3 reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour chicken broth into wine mixture and return chicken thighs to the skillet; bring to a simmer.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Spoon pan juices over the chicken and continue cooking until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken to a platter.
- Place skillet over high heat and reduce pan juices, skimming fat off the top as necessary, until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; remove and discard thyme. Pour sauce over chicken to serve.
Reviews
How can you go wrong with mushrooms and bacon with wine.>>Oh yah
One of our favorite recipes for special occasions or just because. I don’t make any changes.
Delicious!!! My husband raved over it all night long. I followed the directions exactly and used a cast iron skillet. The flavors were incredible. Even my 2 young girls said that they LOVED it! It was easy, but time consuming, so it’ll go on our list as a special occasion type meal. We paired with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Thanks for this delicious meal.
Any type of red wine can be used, do not be misled. It does, however, have to be one that you would enjoy drinking. Please do not use very cheap non robust wine, however as a qualified chef, do not use a heavily packed red wine.
It was heavenly!
We made this on a cold snowy night in SD and it hit the spot. I used a cast iron skillet and it turned out great. Used a reasonably priced Malbec wine for the reduction. The sauce is to die for.
First time today after trying another 2 other recipes. Simply the best. I removed the skin from the thighs though.
My (grown) kids love this so much I have to double the recipe in order to have enough!
Amazing flavor! Wife suggested shredding the chicken and mixing with sauce over egg noodles.
Probably my favorite recipe, and I love to cook. Thanks, Chef John for this delicious and doable Coq au Vin!
Recipe was fantastic and incredibly flavorful. I wouldn’t change a thing. It took a bit longer but it was well worth it. I was a bit concerned about how much wine it called for but once you cook it down, it made for a really nice flavor and consistency. I used a dutch oven so that it wouldn’t spill over. Fantastic dish!
My wife and I loved it! Best chicken thighs I ever ate. I followed the video and instructions exactly. Me not being a chef for living turned out to be about 3 hours time. Resteraunt quality.
I made this recipe many times I love it. Everybody loved it I had many compliments from my guest. I also shared it with a few friends. I served it with mash potatoes and asparagus. There is a lot of steps but easy to follow especially with the video. Bravo chef John
Staple at my house. First time didnt cook out the wine long enough and it overpowered the dish. Cooked out the wine properly the second time was like night and day. Love it!
It was absolute perfection as with his other recipes of his I have done. It was delicious tasting like you spent all day! Thank you, Chef!
This was as tasty as it was ugly. While not the prettiest plate, it really delivered in flavor. It was very simple to put together and went well with some mushroom risotto and a glass of wine. I was concerned that a classic french dish would be complicated and lengthy but this was neither. Thanks for another hit!
Rock on!
I have been making this for years. Today as usual I do not have shallots so I used regular onions. Also sometimes I barely flour my chicken when I brown it. The gravy is so good my family always requests more so I use a little more bacon grease and flour and then increase my chicken broth as well. We never have gravy left over so be sure to make extra. Sometimes I serve this with wide no-yolk noodles or rice. After you have made this a few times it becomes a quick easy meal that is always a crowd pleaser. FYI no bacon, no problem just buy good quality real bacon bits (Costco or Sam’s club) and heat/brown them till they are a little crispy.
Have made this SEVERAL times. Very easy dish that’s pretty hard to mess up. Watch the video to help for your first time. Absolutely delicious. Not many ingredients and not expensive to make. Have the rest of the bottle of wine to compliment the dish. You will wow your guests, or your spouse. Excellent way to dress up plain old chicken. With the price of food going up, this is a very inexpensive dish that taste 5 star restaurant. Definitely worth making.
This was so good! So easy to make and as always, Chef John hits this dish out of the ball park. I have made many Chef John dishes over the years and I can count on one hand how many that I wasn’t impressed with. And they were still edible but just not my cup of tea. That’s how much I love his recipes. I will guarantee you if you can’t find something he makes that isn’t good, than you probably aren’t a foodie just saying…
Amazing flavor.