Description
Instead of red wine, I used white in this French classic. Coq Au Vin Blanc is just as good as the original and still includes the bacon and mushrooms.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1lb)
- 4 oz slab bacon or thick-cut bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter, divided
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
- 3 medium shallots, sliced
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp loosely packed parsley, chopped, divided
- 2 tbsp loosely packed tarragon, chopped, divided
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Prep & heat oven: Bring chicken to room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cook bacon: Place bacon in a large, cold, oven-safe sauté pan. Cook over medium to medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes or until browned and crisp, lowering heat, if needed, to prevent burning. Remove bacon from pan using a slotted spoon, reserving oil in the pan.
- Brown chicken: Keep pan over medium heat. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Add to pan, skin side down, and cook 6-8 minutes or until browned. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes, remove from pan and set aside.
- Cook mushrooms & shallots: Discard all but 2 teaspoons of oil in the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add mushrooms and shallots to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and sauté 5-8 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown and shallots are translucent.
- Start braise: Add wine to the pan, bring to a simmer and reduce slightly, about 2-3 minutes. Add bacon and chicken back to pan, skin side up. Add the broth and half of the herbs, making sure the chicken skin is not submerged in the liquid. The liquid should only go up ¾ of the way in order to encourage crispy skin. Bring the mixture to a simmer and transfer the pan to the oven.
- Braise chicken: Bake 45-60 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Every 15 minutes or so check if additional liquid is needed (you don’t want all of the liquid to evaporate). Add additional wine, broth or water as needed, making sure to taste along the way to keep the flavors balanced. If the mixture is too salty, for example, I suggest adding water or wine. Also make sure not to add wine towards the end of the cooking process as it needs to cook out to mellow in flavor.
- Finish & serve: Place the pan on the stove top and transfer the chicken to a platter. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the sauce and swirl until melted. Stir in remaining herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve chicken with sauce over my Parmesan Polenta, Pureed Potatoes or side dish of choice. Enjoy.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 thigh with sauce
- Calories: 452
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 419mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 29g