Coq au Vin
Chicken thighs braised in red wine. Marinate overnight, brown properly, and reduce the sauce after the meat comes out.
- Prep
- 30m
- Cook
- 1h 15m
- Waiting
- 12h
- Total
- 13h 45m
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Moderate
Scale
Units
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 8 | Marinate overnight in the fridge 12h | Brown the chicken skin-side down, in batches 15m Dry the pieces first — marinated meat is wet and will not colour otherwise. | Return everything to the pot with the marinade and stock 8m | Braise gently, part-covered, 50 minutes 50m | Lift the chicken out, reduce the sauce hard, then return it 12m Reducing with the meat in overcooks it. Take it out, boil the sauce, put it back. | |
| 1 bottle | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| a few sprigs | ||||||
| 2 tsp | ||||||
| 150 g | Render, then soften in the fat 12m | |||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 3 cloves | ||||||
| 1 tbsp | ||||||
| 1 cup | ||||||
| 250 g | Fry hard in a separate pan 8m | |||||
| 2 tbsp | ||||||
| a handful | ||||||
-
Marinate overnight in the fridge
12h- chicken thighs and drumsticks 8
- red wine 1 bottle
- bay leaves 2
- thyme a few sprigs
-
Brown the chicken skin-side down, in batches
15m- from 1 Marinate overnight in the fridge
- salt 2 tsp
Dry the pieces first — marinated meat is wet and will not colour otherwise.
-
Render, then soften in the fat
12m- smoked bacon lardons 150 g
- shallots 8
- garlic 3 cloves
- tomato purée 1 tbsp
-
Return everything to the pot with the marinade and stock
8m- from 2 Brown the chicken skin-side down, in batches
- from 3 Render, then soften in the fat
- chicken stock 1 cup
-
Fry hard in a separate pan
8m- chestnut mushrooms 250 g
-
Braise gently, part-covered, 50 minutes
50m- from 4 Return everything to the pot with the marinade and stock
- from 5 Fry hard in a separate pan
-
Lift the chicken out, reduce the sauce hard, then return it
12m- from 6 Braise gently, part-covered, 50 minutes
- cold butter 2 tbsp
- parsley a handful
Reducing with the meat in overcooks it. Take it out, boil the sauce, put it back.
Thighs, not a whole bird
Breast meat is finished at 65 °C and dry by 75 °C; thigh meat needs 80 °C and upwards to break down its connective tissue. A braise that suits one ruins the other, which is why this uses dark meat only.
Notes
- Marinate overnight but dry the pieces hard before browning.
- Reduce the sauce separately at the end. It is the single step that separates a good version from a watery one.
- Cold butter whisked in at the end gives the sauce shine and body without flour.