Coq au Vin Blanc is a delicious twist on the classic French dish, featuring tender chicken simmered in white wine with garlic, onions, and herbs. This lighter version is rich with savory flavors, making it an elegant yet comforting meal.
Coq au Vin is a classic French recipe that I would urge all cooks to try. The name translates from French to English as "rooster in wine".
Julia Child is quite famous for showing how to prepare this on TV in her familiar style. These wine chicken legs were once considered peasant food in France.
Now you can find this dish on many French fine dining menus, plated with elegance and finesse to elevate it's rustic origins. It's a fairly easy recipe to prepare and has great techniques to learn.
We are making an adjustment to this chicken stew recipe which is to use white wine rather than the original red, hence the addition of "blanc" in the name.
Prefer red wine? Try out Red Wine Braised Ribs. Another great show-stopping holiday recipe is to perfect your Reverse Seared Beef Tenderloin.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Learn new techniques in this classic French recipe such as searing, braising, deglazing, reducing and flambéing.
- The flavor of this wine sauce can't be beat and will look gorgeous on your holiday dinner table or during any of the fall and winter months.
- Pairs perfectly with your favorite side dishes, whether it's Boursin mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken: Select skin on chicken leg quarters. The bone and skin gives you great flavor and texture. If you can't find quarters, I suggest skin-on chicken thighs.
- Broth: Use high-quality bone broth or stock if you don't have homemade. My favorite is Knorr Liquid Concentrate Stock which can be used for Green Beans with Bacon too.
- Wine: I selected a Chardonnay for its dry quality, but any of your favorite dry white wine will be perfect. Do not use a sweet white wine.
- Bacon: Thick cut bacon is my preference for texture.
- Veggies: We will make shallots separately, but carrots and onions roast with the chicken.
- Shallots: I use glazed shallots here as a substitution for pearl onions. The flavor is wonderful.
- Cognac: You don't have to break the bank with your cognac choice but don't buy the cheapest one you can find either. Cognac is great in this Coq au Vin Blanc recipe as well as cognac mustard cream sauce.
- Herbs: Fresh thyme is the way to go here.
- Unsalted Butter: I use unsalted butter then add my own salt as needed.
- Kosher Salt: Diamond Crystal kosher salt is my go-to salt. Do not use table salt when cooking.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Pearl onions can be used in place of shallots. They are the traditional onion.
- Of course, a dry red wine can be substituted for white wine but then you'd have a traditional Coq au Vin recipe.
- Chicken breasts can be used in place of leg quarters but the meat won't be quite as juicy. Great for people like my husband who says he likes his chicken dry, haha! Joking aside, it will not be dry but dark meat is better IMO.
- Use a cornstarch slurry in place of beurre manie to thicken Coq au Vin Blanc to make it gluten free!
- Sauvignon Blanc is a nice substitute for chardonnay.
- Sautee cremini mushrooms and add them to the chicken stew.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Coq au Vin Blanc
Step 1: Cook chopped bacon over medium-high heat in a large dutch oven then remove bacon using a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving bacon grease in the Dutch Oven.
Step 2: Pat chicken skin dry then season with salt and black pepper. Sear chicken, skin side down, in the bacon grease then flip and sear opposite side. Chicken pieces should be a nice golden brown. Remove chicken and set aside with bacon.
Step 3: Sauté veggies until they begin to soften then add garlic and stir until fragrant before stirring in the tomato paste.
Step 4: Add cognac to deglaze then tilt pan to the side to catch fire or, flambe. Keep face and body away from Dutch oven when doing so, the flame will shoot up.
Step 5: Stir in chicken broth, wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and herbs before nestling in the chicken.
Step 6: While chicken cooks, prepare the glazed shallots.
Step 7: Mash butter and flour into a paste, forming a beurre manie. Stir beurre manie into the sauce in the chicken pan to thicken. Add glazed shallots to the pan.
Step 8: Serve with crusty bread, mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.
Expert Cooking Tips
- After chicken has cooked through, remove to a sheet pan and roast to crisp up the skin for that extra level of deliciousness.
- Keep face and body turned away from the heat when igniting the cognac. After adding cognac, turn Dutch Oven slightly to the side so the flame can catch the fumes and ignite. Fire will shoot straight up then burn off.
- Make sure your flour and butter are combined well before adding to the stew!
- Make the glazed shallots up to 48 hours in advance to save time.
- You must have Coq au Vin Blanc at a boil to ensure full thickening ability. Beurre manie, roux and a cornstarch slurry will not fully thicken unless liquid is at a boil.
Recipe FAQs
This is a great thickening agent and a skill you can perfect in this recipe. It is equal parts butter and flour, just like a roux, but rather than starting with roux and adding liquid, this is added to liquid at the end. It's used often in French cuisine. With a beurre manié the butter and flour is kneaded together, making a paste. Be sure the flour is completely coated in the softened butter. This will allow the butter to melt and carry the flour, ensuring there are no floating lumps of flour! You can even keep beurre manié in the fridge for up to a month, in an airtight container, pinching some off to add to your cooking.
I used flour to thicken, which I think makes for a really velvety sauce but does contain gluten. However, you can easily use a cornstarch slurry to thicken this instead if you want to avoid wheat. Mix equal parts cornstarch and cold water in a separate bowl, then add to the pot of liquid while whisking. You must always use cold water to dissolve the cornstarch or else you risk having clumps in your broth that you simply won't be able to dissolve.
I love to serve this over mashed potatoes because they will soak up every last drop of sauce. Other good options are crusty bread, egg noodles and rice, depending on preference and dietary needs. I love fried brussel sprouts with this
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📖Recipe
Coq Au Vin Blanc
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 4 oz thick cut bacon cut into 1 inch chunk
- 6 pc chicken leg quarters
- tt kosher salt
- tt black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion large dice
- 2 large carrots peeled and cut into a large dice
- 1 tablespoon garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup cognac
- 2 cup dry white wine I use Chardonnay
- 1½ cup chicken stock
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- tt kosher salt
- tt black pepper
Glazed Shallots
- 8 oz shallots peeled and whole
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
Beurre Manie
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until brown and crispy. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving bacon grease in Dutch oven
- Pat chicken quarters dry, season with salt and pepper on each side then cook skin side down. Allow chicken to sear 3-4 minutes then flip over and repeat on opposite side
- Remove chicken from Dutch oven and set aside. Add onion and carrot to Dutch oven. Cook stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes, getting a little color on the veggies
- Add garlic and continue cooking 20 seconds white stirring occasionally then Stir in tomato paste then continue cooking for 3 minutes while stirring
- Deglaze pan with cognac, tilting the pan to the side to catch fire. (stand back while doing this) Add white wine, chicken stock, fresh thyme and bay leaf. Cover pan and braise in oven for 40 minutes. While chicken is braising, make glazed shallots
Glazed Shallots
- Add shallots, chicken stock, white wine, butter, sugar, salt, pepper and fresh thyme to large skillet with high sides and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally
- Once liquid is almost completely evaporated keep a close eye. Liquid will become brown and syrupy. Stir shallots until thick and syrupy then remove from heat immediately
Beurre Manie
- Knead butter and flour with hands until smooth. Remove Coq au Vin from oven and immediately turn oven temp up to 450°F. Remove chicken from Dutch oven and place on a parchment lined sheet tray then bake until skin is brown and crispy, about 7-10 minutes
- While chicken skin is crisping, whisk in butter flour mixture to Dutch oven while it is over medium heat on the stove. Whisk until mixture boils and is thickened then turn off heat.
- Stir in glazed shallots and add chicken back to pot. Serve immediately
Krista
A comfort classic with a twist! Loving this dish during these cold winter months and love that the kids will eat this too.