Coq au vin

Name: Coq au vin
Prep time: 14 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 39 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 1½ tbsp Olive Oil; 3 rashers (100g) chopped dry-cured Bacon; 12 small Shallots; 2 (460g) Chicken Legs; 4 (650g) Chicken Thighs; 2 (280g) Chicken Breasts; 3 finely chopped Garlic; 3 tbsp Brandy; 600ml Red Wine; 150ml Chicken Stock; 2 tsp tomato puree; 3 sprigs thyme; 2 sprigs Rosemary; 2 bay leaves; garnish parsley; 250g chestnut mushroom; 2 tbsp plain flour; 1 tsp butter

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Chicken recipe with France flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 59 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 39 min total

1½ tbsp Olive Oil
3 rashers (100g) chopped dry-cured Bacon
12 small Shallots
2 (460g) Chicken Legs
4 (650g) Chicken Thighs
2 (280g) Chicken Breasts
3 finely chopped Garlic
3 tbsp Brandy
600ml Red Wine
150ml Chicken Stock
2 tsp Tomato Puree
3 sprigs Thyme
2 sprigs Rosemary
2 Bay Leaves
garnish Parsley
250g Chestnut Mushroom
2 tbsp Plain Flour
1 tsp Butter

Step-by-step instructions

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or flameproof dish. Tip in the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Add the shallots to the pan and fry, stirring or shaking the pan often, for 5-8 mins until well browned all over. Remove and set aside with the bacon.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with kitchen paper. Pour the remaining oil into the pan, then fry half the chicken pieces, turning regularly, for 5-8 mins until well browned. Remove, then repeat with the remaining chicken. Remove and set aside.
Scatter in the garlic and fry briefly, then, with the heat medium-high, pour in the brandy or Cognac, stirring the bottom of the pan to deglaze. The alcohol should sizzle and start to evaporate so there is not much left.
Return the chicken legs and thighs to the pan along with any juices, then pour in a little of the wine, stirring the bottom of the pan again. Stir in the rest of the wine, the stock and tomato purée, drop in the bouquet garni, season with pepper and a pinch of salt, then return the bacon and shallots to the pan. Cover, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, add the chicken breasts and cook for 50 mins-1hr.
Just before ready to serve, heat the oil for the mushrooms in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the mushrooms and fry over a high heat for a few mins until golden. Remove and keep warm.
Lift the chicken, shallots and bacon from the pan and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Remove the bouquet garni. To make the thickener, mix the flour, olive oil and butter in a small bowl using the back of a teaspoon. Bring the wine mixture to a gentle boil, then gradually drop in small pieces of the thickener, whisking each piece in using a wire whisk. Simmer for 1-2 mins. Scatter the mushrooms over the chicken, then pour over the wine sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Why this works on a weeknight

Coq au vin lands at about 39 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Coq au vin actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Chicken France