Julia Child's Coq au Vin Chef's Recipe

All hail the great and powerful: Julia Child.

What? Am I the only one who thought that the wizard behind the curtain was going to be deboning a duck with one hand and whisking a beurre blanc with the other?

If that made absolutely no sense to you, maybe you’re not the world’s biggest Julia Child fan. Maybe you have no idea what Mastering the Art of French Cooking is. Maybe you’ve never even heard of her.

But one bite of this transcendent, Julia Child-inspired, bird braised in red wine and you’ll be all, “bon appetit!” before you know it.

Trust me on this.

If you don’t share my affinity for history’s most magnificent mother of French cuisine, let me impart on you the roots of my enthusiasm.

My adoration for cooking comes directly from my dad. Though I’ve worked my way through plenty of professional kitchens, owned a catering business, and have gotten to rub spatulas with some of the world’s best chefs—it all begin with a kitchen chair that my dad pulled up to the stove when I was four years old.

His passion for the culinary arts stemmed from his Aunt Annette. And hers? The almighty, ever wonderful, Julia Child.

When I was little, my dad starred in his very own rendition of the movie Julie & Julia.

He would flip open the splattered pages of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and manifest Julia Child masterpieces out of nowhere like rice soubise and Cornish hens with velvety Bearnaise and gratin Dauphinoise.

Yeah, boxed potato flakes were not a thing in our house.

That being said—the stories of my life that journal all-things Julia Child were written long before I was even born. Now that I’m all grown up (sort of), one of my very favorite riffs on a JC classic is coq au vin.

Directly translated, coq au vin means chicken pieces cooked in red wine. Doesn’t sound so unapproachable after all, does it?

Though chicken seems to traditionally be cooked with white wine (see: piccata, francese, scampi, and so on)—the dry, earthy red in this recipe brings out a rich complexity that you probably didn’t even know chicken was capable of.

As with many French recipes, coq au vin is all about laying flavors. To begin, a smoky undertone of bacon lays the base. Next, the chicken’s skin gets an all-around crisp in the bacon fat bath and the juices are locked in.

The aromatics—sweet carrots, onions, garlic, thyme, and shallots—empty out their flavors into the dish. PS. Why shallots and onions? Onions give mild, subtle notes of flavor while shallots offer a sharp, sweet bite that stand front and center.

And just when you thought things couldn’t smell any better, in goes a few heaping tablespoons of rich, concentrated tomato paste and an unremorseful splatter of wine.

Once simmered, a quick thickener of flour and butter (called beurre manié if you feel like getting fancy in front of your friends) is added to produce an even more voluptuous sauce than was already bubbling away in your Dutch oven.

For the finale, the mushrooms are sautéed separately as to not comprise their delicately caramelized exteriors. Another sprinkle of fresh, lemony thyme and you have just conquered coq au vin.

Well…you know. Chicken cooked in red wine.

Now don’t let the rest of that bottle go to waste.

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Chef’s Tips

1. 1. If you were thinking this recipe seems like a shoe-in for a slow cooker, you were right. After rendering the bacon fat, searing the chicken, and sautéing the veggies—transfer, then nestle everything into your slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
   2. Splurge on a pricier bottle of red that you actually want to drink with the dish (instead of dumping in a leftover Two Buck Chuck). A good burgundy is the traditional choice, but any wine made with Pinot Noir grapes will work like a charm.
   3. Reserve some of the cooked bacon after it comes out of the pan and use it as a crunchy garnish instead of adding it all back into the stew.

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Chop the Bacon, Veggies, and Herbs

Preheat the oven to 250° F.

Dice the bacon, chop the onion, shallots, carrots, and thyme, and mince the garlic.

Step 2 – Cook the Bacon and Sear the Chicken

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the bacon and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned about 8-10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and set it aside on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any excess oil.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and then sprinkle on both sides with the salt and pepper.

Working in batches so the chicken cooks in a single layer, sear the pieces until golden-brown on both sides.

Set aside on a plate.

Step 3 – Chop and Sauté the Vegetables and Build the Sauce

Add the onions, shallots, carrots, and garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper, and sauté until the vegetables are lightly softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and thyme, cook for 1 additional minute, and then deglaze with the red wine (and brandy or cognac if you used it) and chicken stock—scraping to remove any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Step 4 – Return the Bacon and Chicken the Pan and Bake

Add the bacon and chicken pieces (and their juices) back to the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Cover the Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid and bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 35-40 minutes.

Return the pan to the stove, remove the chicken pieces, and set them aside.

Step 5 – Thicken the Sauce and Sauté the Mushrooms

In a small bowl, mash together 1 tablespoon of the butter with the flour and whisk it into the sauce until it thickens.

Slice the mushrooms.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes.

Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper and then add them to the sauce.

Step 6 – Simmer and Serve

Simmer on low heat for an additional 10 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Divide the chicken pieces among bowls, top with the veggies and sauce, garnish with additional fresh thyme, and serve.

But Wait, There’s More.

Just when you thought this dish couldn’t taste any better, you put it all away and kept your hands to yourself for twenty-four hours.

No, seriously.

Do yourself a favor and prep this recipe ahead of time. Refrigerate the entire stew, skim the layer of fat once cooled, and reheat slowly when you’re ready to dig in. The flavor of the coq au vin will have literally duplicated.

Or at the French say: holy crap, that was good.

Craving more chicken cooked in wine? Play with your poultry in these boozed-up recipes below:

Quick and Wholesome Chicken Piccata
Savory Parmesan Fennel Italian Wedding Soup
Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce