Julia Child’s Coq au Vin, a classic French dish, is within your reach! This recipe, based on Julia Child’s original, features chicken simmered in red wine, creating a rich and savory sauce. The bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions add layers of depth to this timeless dish.
We’ll walk you through the entire process of this complex recipe, and before you know it, you’ll feel like you’ve mastered a classic French recipe.
Anything from Julia Child has to be good, especially if it involves wine. This chicken recipe is delicious and pretty easy, although it is a little time-consuming. I cheat and use frozen pearl onions, which Julia probably would not approve of — but once upon a time, I made this recipe for Roasted Pearl Onions using fresh pearl onions, and it’s not an experience I ever intend to repeat.
I also use pre-sliced baby portabella mushrooms, but you can use small, whole mushrooms if you prefer. The wine and stock thicken to a silky sauce that coats the chicken, and the herbs and onions leave your whole house smelling like a French bistro.
This dish is perfect for a weekend dinner with family or friends. Just grab a good bottle of wine and some crusty bread, and you’re all set.
Why you’ll love this recipe
CLASSIC – There’s something about immersing yourself in cooking a classic recipe, be it a Southern favorite like fried chicken or this French recipe for Coq au Vin. Turn on your favorite music, grab a good knife, and get lost in the kitchen for a while. It’s calming and satisfying to work hard and turn out something divine.
TASTE – The flavor of this recipe is out of this world. How could it not be with bacon, wine, chicken, onion…it’s really so layered and complex that you’ll find yourself wanting to lick your plate!
MAKE-AHEAD – My go-to recipes for dinner parties are always things that I can make ahead of time. This Coq au Vin fits that requirement perfectly. You can make the whole dish ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for a day before serving. Or you can make the components separately and put it together with the sauce just before serving. You have options!
What to serve with coq au vin
Julia Child suggests serving the Coq au Vin with parslied potatoes or buttered egg noodles. We usually serve it with creamy mashed potatoes, a simple green salad, and some crusty bread. You must have the bread for sopping up the yummy, silky sauce.
I hope you’ll try this version of Julia Child’s Coq au Vin. I think you’ll love it and your guests will too!
Lucy
What you’ll need for Coq au Vin
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Keep scrolling below the recipe card to get detailed how-to steps with photos, common questions, and tips for success.
- Bacon chopped into one-inch pieces
- Whole chicken, cut into pieces
- Butter
- Red wine, such as Pinot Noir, red Burgundy, or Beaujolais
- Chicken or beef stock
- Tomato paste
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Bay leaf
- Pearl onions
- Mushrooms
- Flour
- Butter
Read this recipe all the way through before beginning. Some things will cook simultaneously.
Ingredients
- 8 ½ tablespoons softened butter, divided
- 6 slices bacon, chopped into one inch pieces
- 1 whole cut-up frying chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup cognac (optional)
- 1 bottle full-bodied red wine
- 2 cups chicken or beef stock
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ¼ teaspoons dried thyme, divided
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 14-ounce package frozen pearl onions
- 1 lb. assorted fresh mushrooms, some sliced and some whole
- 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons flour
- parsley for garnishing
Instructions
Chicken and Bacon
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven and add chopped bacon, frying until browned but not crisp. Remove bacon to a side dish.
- Dry chicken with paper towel and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown chicken in the bacon grease. You may have to do this a few pieces at a time.
- Return bacon and chicken to the pot, cover and cook on medium-low for about ten minutes, turning the chicken once.
- Optional: Turn off the heat, uncover the pot and pour in the cognac. Turn your face away and ignite the cognac. Shake the pot lightly back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside. Note – I never add the cognac and my coq au vin is always delicious but I'm putting it here because Julia added it!
- Pour wine into the pot and add just enough chicken or beef stock to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and the bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and juices run clear.
- Remove the chicken to a casserole dish, saving the sauce in the pot. (The chicken will have absorbed a lot of red wine and be a weird purplish color but the sauce willcover it, so it will be fine.)
Onions and Mushrooms – I cook the mushrooms and onions while the chicken is cooking.
- Mushrooms: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil. When the butter is hot, add the mushrooms. Stir gently every few minutes until lightly browned and tender, about ten minutes. If your skillet is not large then do the mushrooms in batches. Too many mushrooms in the pan will cause them to steam rather than fry. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish with the chicken and use the same skillet for the onions.
- Onions: melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in skillet on medium-high until hot. Add the onions, turn heat down to medium, and sauté for about ten minutes, stirring gently so the skins don't break. Brown as evenly as possible and then add 1/2 cup chicken or beef stock, salt, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme.
- Cover and simmer slowly for about thirty minutes or until the onions are tender but retain their shape. Remove from the skillet and add onions to the chicken.
Sauce
- Simmer the chicken cooking liquid for a minute or two, skimming off the fat. Then raise the heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 cups. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf.
- Blend the remaining 3 tablespoons softened butter and 3 tablespoons flour together into a smooth paste, then whisk into the sauce.
- Bring the sauce back to a simmer, stirring, and simmer for a minute or two. The sauce will thicken and should coat the back of a spoon.
- At this point, if you are making the recipe ahead, cover the chicken and place in a warming drawer or oven on the lowest setting. Julia says if you're making ahead then you should add some small dots of butter to the sauce and set it aside uncovered. Just before serving, bring the sauce back to a simmer and pour over the chicken. If you're making this recipe a day in advance, placstorerything in the refrigerator.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve garnished with fresh sprigs of parsley.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published on October 18, 2010, and on June 24, 2024, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, or new tips.
How to make Julia Child’s coq au vin
Step 1. Cook the bacon and chicken. Heat butter in a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon, and then brown the chicken in the bacon grease.
Pour wine into the pot (there will be a bit left in the bottle, so finish that while you’re cooking) and add just enough chicken stock to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf.
Bring to a simmer and cook for about half an hour, until the chicken is tender and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and bacon to a casserole dish and save the liquid in the pot.
Step 2. Cook the mushrooms and onion. I start the mushrooms while the bacon is cooking and do these things simultaneously. This requires a lot of attention to what you are doing. The onion can simmer while the chicken is cooking.
Mushrooms: Place a large skillet over high heat and melt the butter and oil. When the butter is hot, add the mushrooms. Stir gently every few minutes until lightly browned and tender, about ten minutes. Watch the heat, and don’t let them burn. You may need to turn it down slightly. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish with the chicken, and use the same skillet for the onions.
Onions: Melt the butter and oil in a skillet until hot. Add the onions and sauté over moderate heat for about ten minutes, stirring gently so the skins don’t break. Brown the onions as evenly as possible, and then add the liquid, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover and simmer slowly for about thirty minutes or until the onions are tender but retain their shape.
Step 3. Finish the sauce. After you’ve removed the chicken to the casserole dish and cooked the mushrooms and onions, it’s time to finish the sauce. Simmer the chicken cooking liquid for a minute or two, skimming off the fat. Then, raise the heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 cups. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf.
Blend the remaining softened butter and the flour together into a smooth paste, then whisk into the sauce. Stir and bring the sauce back to a simmer for a minute or two. The sauce will thicken and should lightly coat the back of a spoon.
Pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve with a garnish of fresh parsley sprigs.
Make-ahead coq au vin
Note: If you want to do this as a make-ahead dish, then add the sauce just before serving and bring it to a simmer before adding.
This recipe is slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.
Questions and tips
How to pronounce coq au vin
The correct pronunciation for this recipe is “cock oh vahn.” In traditional French cooking, this recipe would have been made with a rooster, thus the name.
Best wine for coq au vin
Julia Child suggests cooking and serving your coq au vin with a young, full-bodied red wine such as a red Burgundy, Beaujolais, or Cotes du Rhone. I usually serve it with a nice Pinot Noir.
How to serve coq au vin
Serve your coq au vin with buttered noodles, roasted potatoes, or mashed potatoes—and lots of crusty bread! For dessert, add a classic French creme brulee, like this white chocolate raspberry creme brulee.
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