Authentic Coq au Vin with Crisp-Browned Chicken

By Lauren Mitchell, Test Kitchen Director · Reviewed by AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-04-04 · Updated 2026-04-04

A classic French bistro dish where tender chicken braises slowly in red wine with lardons, mushrooms, and pearl onions, resulting in deeply flavorful, fall-off-the-bone meat. This french-inspired beef ready in about 100 minutes pairs bone-in chicken thighs, smoked bacon, dry red wine for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 480 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs
• 4 oz smoked bacon
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1 cup pearl onions
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup chicken stock

Instructions

1. Step 1: Pat 1.5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs dry with paper towels, then season evenly with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering, then sear chicken skin-side down for 5-6 minutes until golden brown and crispy—do not move until fully browned.
2. Step 2: Remove chicken and set aside. Add 4 oz diced bacon to the pot and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes until crisp and fat renders, then remove bacon and set aside with chicken. Add 1 cup pearl onions and 8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms to the pot, stirring to coat in bacon fat, and cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms release moisture and begin to brown.
3. Step 3: Sprinkle 2 tbsp all-purpose flour over vegetables and stir for 1 minute to cook off raw flour taste, then slowly pour in 2 cups dry red wine while scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Add 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 4 minced garlic cloves, and 1 cup chicken stock, then bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Step 4: Return chicken and bacon to the pot, nestling them into the liquid, and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, checking occasionally to ensure liquid doesn’t reduce too much—chicken should be tender and pull easily from the bone.