Easy Peasy Coq au Vin

5 from 3 votes

Ready in under 45 minutes, this easy peasy version of the French classic Coq au Vin would make a great stress-free dinner party main, but is easy enough to do for a weeknight treat.

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 40

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 459kcal

Author Eb Gargano

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion chopped
600g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
200 ml French red wine (such as Cotes du Rhone)
200 ml chicken stock (from a cube is fine – I use Kallo Organic)
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
Salt and pepper
90 g lardons (or chopped up smoked bacon)
100 g chestnut mushrooms roughly chopped
400 g new potatoes to serve
Green vegetables to serve

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Place the oil and onions in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish and cook gently over a medium/low heat for 3 minutes until softened.
Turn up the heat and add the chicken thigh fillets. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the thigh fillets are slightly browned.
Add the wine and stock, plus the bay leaves and thyme and bring to the boil. Turn down and put the lid on.
Next, put a non-stick frying pan on a high heat and wait for 1 minute. Then tip in the lardons and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute, before adding in the mushrooms and cooking for a further 2 minutes. The lardons should be golden and the mushrooms nicely browned. Tip the lardons and mushrooms into the chicken stew and give everything a stir. Replace the lid and continue cooking the stew for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the lid. Stir the casserole and then leave the lid off to allow the sauce to thicken slightly (see note 1). Continue cooking for a further 15 minutes or until your potatoes and green veggies are cooked.
While your stew is cooking boil or steam your new potatoes for 15 minutes and steam your green veg for 5 minutes (or longer if you prefer them softer).
Serve the Coq au Vin with the new potatoes, green veg and a glass of the same wine you used in the stew.

Notes

This stew produces a thin French style ‘jus’ rather than a thick English gravy. If you’d prefer a thicker gravy, mix 1 teaspoon flour or cornflour with a very small amount of water and then add this mixture to the stew when you add the lardons and mushrooms.
Suitable for freezing.
Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition