Julia Child’s Coq au Vin

Thursday, October 25, 2012
Julia Child’s Coq Au Vin recipe is a basic stewed chicken in a rich buttery red wine sauce traditionally made with sauteed mushrooms and pearl onions and we adapted this 1960s recipe just slightly to our taste.

This easy dish is another classic win-win for the French Chef's expertise in fabulous cuisine in French food meals and the flavors are magnificent.

This easy chicken stew is really forked tender and we have adapted the recipe and can be made on the stovetop or finished in the oven.

If you're a stew lover, this delicious pot of seasoned vegetables in a wine sauce is one to add to your collections, as always Julia's recipes won't disappoint plus very simple to make.

During the years of making different types of Italian, Irish, and now French-style stews, they are all started with basic ingredients you can choose to mix or match and adapt to your family's preference.

Our family prefers less onion and more garlic, however, the recipe is written with alternatives you can make it in its original form or experiment like we did.

We have adapted several of Juila's genius recipes like Steak Diane, Coquilles Saint Jacques, Boeuf Bourguignon, and Ham Madiera.

Scroll down to our printable recipe card and hit print and let's get this delicious meal on your tables from the 1960s easy dinner inspired by Julia Child the great French Chef.

french chicken stew



Chicken Legs and Thighs



You can use any parts of the chicken you like but this recipe called for legs and thighs which we use and it's super tender.


The sauce is a nice butter and flour paste to thicken the sauce and works perfectly.


If you prefer to not make this with mushrooms or onions add the peppers and potatoes like we did, the recipe is perfectly seasoned for whatever vegetables you like, just cooking times will vary.


Just adapt away as you like your stewed chicken.


This is a stew made on the stove top all in one pan easy meal with chicken and vegetables


Tips

  1. brown the chicken on both sides till brown
  2. save the bacon fat and do not drain the bacon fat is flavor in this recipe
  3. burgundy or merlot are both good choices for wines make sure it's one that is a good drinking wine 
  4. always use fresh herbs
  5. use some cubed fresh whole tomatoes if you like them stead of tomato paste
  6. use an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure chicken is cooked


chicken legs seasoned


Some of The Ingredients Used In This Stew

  • chicken thighs
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • pearl onion carrots, garlic mushrooms
  • burgundy or merlot wine
  • sprigs of thyme, parsley
  • tomato paste
  • chicken broth


This is a stew made on the stove top all in one pan easy meal with chicken and vegetables



More Recipes We Love


Julia's Adapted Steak Diane

Julia's Adapted Coquilles Saint Jacques

Our Best Soup Roundup

Julia Child's Adapted Ham Steak Madiera

Julia Child's(Boeuf a la Bourguignonne)



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Chicken in a french sauce


Easiest Coq au Vin Recipe



Coq au vin is a traditional French dish, but Julia Child put her own memorable stamp on it with her 1960s cooking show, The French Chef.

This version of her timeless comfort food is adapted as you can see by adding or removing whatever your palettes love about stew.

This adapted recipe was creatively remastered from Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and still packs a great flavor.

I can safely say is this version is much more on the Italian side than probably French in some ways, so by all means change the recipe to your own taste buds.


Julia Child’s Coq au Vin

Julia Child’s Coq au Vin

Yield: 8
Author: Claudia Lamascolo
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken thighs and legs, bone-in and skin on
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 6 slices of thick bacon
  • 8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, washed and sliced
  • 20 pearl onions, peeled (Tip: Julia pierces the bottom of the root so they won't come apart when cooking)
  • 2 large carrots, sliced into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 2 1/2 cups dry red wine (burgundy, merlot)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Additional Option: add small cubed potatoes, and sliced peppers (add when chicken is simmering you may need more chicken broth if it gets too dry)
  • Optional Cooking Method: this can go in a dutch oven at 325 degrees for 2 hours.

Instructions

  1. Add 1 1/2 tablespoon of flour and butter and mix together to form a paste set this aside,
  2. On medium heat, in a large deep pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  3. Place the bacon in the pan and fry for around 10 minutes as it starts to crisp up remove it to a plate and save the fat in the pan.
  4. Let it cool then chop it up leaving this on the same plate.
  5. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
  6. Place the seasoned chicken in the bacon grease and brown on both sides this should take around 6 minutes on each side.
  7. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
  8. Add the onion, garlic carrots and tomato paste to this pot.
  9. Cook it for 4 minutes stirring until the vegetables are softened do not burn the garlic.
  10. Add the chicken and bacon to the pot.
  11. Shut the burner off.
  12. Add the brandy and let it sit for around 2 minutes.
  13. Using a long lighter or match light the brandy on fire to a flambe' and as the flame lowers down, pour in the wine to put out the flames.
  14. Place back on the heat to medium.
  15. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
  16. Simmer this down on low heat and the bay leaf and thyme.
  17. Cover this pot and simmer for around 30 to 35 minutes, chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature is 165 degrees on an instant-read meat thermometer.
  18. In a clean pan heat some olive oil and butter remaining on high heat. Add the mushrooms, and pearl onions and cook for 8 minutes.
  19. Place the vegetables into the simmering chicken and add the butter-flour mixture.
  20. Simmer for around 7 minutes or until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
  21. Remove the thyme and bay leaf.
  22. Season if needed..

Notes

Tips

  • brown the chicken on both sides till brown, don't burn the garlic remove it
  • save the bacon fat and do not drain the bacon fat is flavor in this recipe.
  • burgundy or merlot are both good choices for wines make sure it's one that a good drinking wine
  • Always use fresh herbs
  • Use some cubed fresh whole tomatoes if you like them stead of tomato paste.
  • use an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure chicken is cooked


Nutrition Facts

Calories

562.36

Fat (grams)

35.2

Sat. Fat (grams)

11.41

Carbs (grams)

15.6

Fiber (grams)

2.39

Net carbs

13.2

Sugar (grams)

5.19

Protein (grams)

28.02

Sodium (milligrams)

945.12

Cholesterol (grams)

164.38
stew, chicken dinner, easy meals,one-pan meals, chicken thighs, Julia Child's coq au vin
Julia Child's coq au vin recipe, Julia Child's recipes, chicken recipes
French


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pin for later chicken in French sauce


Other Recipes To Try



Mommy's Chicken Nuggets


Baked Taste Like Fried Lemon Chicken Cutlets


Bundt Pan Roasted Chicken


this is a chicken thigh stew one pan meal This is a stew made on the stove top all in one pan easy meal with chicken and vegetables


11 comments

  1. Sounds awesome. I'll have a larbe bowl please. I love it when soup and stew season arrive, but then I make soup all year round.

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  2. I can see why this is a favorite - the flavors sound wonderful and I know meld together nicely... served with spinach pasta and I think you'd have your traditional colors...

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  3. this is a lovely stew: hearty and warming. Great dish Claudia!

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  4. Anything is better if served with ciabatta bread! What a great-looking, colorful dish--love all the veggies you've included.

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  5. Dear Claudia, I would love to dip that delicious bread in the sauce!! A perfect meal. Blessings dearest. Catherine xoxo

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  6. Dipping the bread might be the best part! Great dinner.

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  7. Hi Claudia, this chicken stew sure look delicious. Love all the ingredients combination, look great.
    I'm sure it taste very delicious with ciabotta bread.

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  8. I made this the other night with venison. It was delicious!!! Thank you for the great recipe.

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  9. Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday, 595. Hope you are having a great week and hope to see you soon!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete

Remember to use the search option for a recipe you're looking for and thanks for all your kind words and support. We love our readers all the best Claudia