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Spring Coq Au Vin Blanc

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This easy French coq au vin blanc recipe gets a spring twist by braising in white wine, lemon, fresh herbs, mushrooms and spring veggies like leeks, asparagus and carrots!

A burnt orange round casserole dish with pieces of chicken in a white wine sauce with carrots, asparagus, leeks, onions. There's a glass of wine and a toasted piece of bread in the background

Coq au vin is one of the most delicious, non-intimidating French recipes you could make.

Coq au vin literally means “chicken in wine”.

And by wine, I mean first marinated in white wine, lemon, and fresh herbs, then slowly braised in that delicious wine marinade along with some butter, garlic, onions and Spring vegetables.

It’s definitely one of those homemade comfort foods you’ll crave at least once a year.

This version can be enjoyed on a warm or cool Spring day :).

My version of coq au vin blanc uses fresh Spring vegetables like leeks, asparagus and mushrooms.

…And don’t forget the crust bread to dip in that mouth watering sauce!

Two side by side pictures, the first one has a bowl of ingredients for coq au vin like leeks and bacon, the secon is a large glass bowl of marinating chicken with lemon and herbs

Main ingredients used in this coq au vin blanc recipe:

  • Chicken thighs and drumsticks (skin on for more flavor)
  • White wine (any kind you have handy!)
  • Lemon
  • Fresh thyme, rosemary and sage
  • Bacon
  • Yellow onion
  • Flour (to thicken the sauce)
  • Carrots
  • Garlic
  • Leeks
  • Dijon mustard
  • Brandy
  • Mushrooms
  • Asparagus

Tradionally coq au vin is made with red wine and typically just mushrooms, bacon, onions and carrots.

This version of coq au vin blanc uses fresh Spring veggies like asparagus and leeks for a different twist :).

A round rustic casserole dish with coq au vin blanc with carrots, mushrooms, asparagus and leeks. There's a piece of crusty golden bread on the edge of the dish and the chicken skin is golden brown

Tips for making spring chicken in white wine sauce:

  1. A Dutch oven is recommended for this recipe because it retains heat making it perfect for braising. If you don’t have a Dutch oven any large, heavy bottom pot will work fine.
  2. Be sure to marinade the chicken in the wine, lemon and herbs for at least an hour or even overnight for maximum flavor
  3. Brandy is traditionally used in the recipe and enhances the flavor of the dish but if you need to you can skip it.
  4. Cook the asparagus and mushrooms separately before adding them to the chicken which will allow them to get nice and golden.
  5. Leaving the skin on the chicken gives more flavor from the fat which also gives a silky white wine sauce.
A white round dish with a piece of chicken in white wine sauce with spring vegetables. There's a glass of white wine, a piece of crusty bread and a half of a lemon in the background

What to serve with coq au vin?

  • Crusty bread (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!)
  • Roasted potatoes
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Egg noodles

Basically anything that will soak up that delicious white wine sauce!

I first heard of this recipe from the movie “Julie & Julia”. Go see it if you haven’t already!

It’s based off of the famous chef Julia Child who has a coq au vin recipe that’s incredible!

If you’d like to try tradtional coq au vin with red wine, I’d try Julia Child’s original recipe 🙂

For more chicken recipes try:

A burnt orange round casserole dish with pieces of chicken in a white wine sauce with carrots, asparagus, leeks, onions. There's a glass of wine and a toasted piece of bread in the background

Spring Coq Au Vin Blanc

Yield: 4-6
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 55 minutes

This easy French coq au vin blanc recipe gets a spring twist by braising in white wine, lemon, fresh herbs, mushrooms and spring veggies like leeks, asparagus and carrots!

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
  • 4 chicken drumsticks
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cups white wine
  • 4 strips bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 leeks, thinly sliced (light green parts only, about 1.5 cups)
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1/4 cup Brandy
  • 2 sage leaves
  • 2 cups chicken stock (or broth)
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 8 oz sliced mushrooms
  • 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed

Instructions

For the marinade:

  1. Add chicken to large bowl. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Add bay leaf, thyme, lemon juice and white wine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Coq Au Vin:

  1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with lid, cook bacon over medium heat until golden and crispy, about 8-10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade (reserving the liquid) and pat dry with paper towel.
  3. Remove crispy bacon pieces from pan and set aside, reserving grease in pan.
  4. Turn pan up to medium-high and add chicken, (4 pieces at a time to not over crowd). Cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden and browned. Transfer browned chicken to plate and set aside.
  5. Turn pan down to medium-low. Add onions, leeks, carrots and garlic. Cook until softened and slightly browned, about 8 minutes.
  6. Stir in Dijon mustard, then add flour. Stir and cook 1 minute
  7. Add brandy and stir, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Cook 1 minute.
  8. Add reserved wine marinade (including the bay leaf and thyme), sage leaves, and chicken stock. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until liquid has slightly thickened and reduced by almost half, about 15 minutes.
  9. Add browned chicken and bacon back to pan. Turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour, flipping chicken over about halfway through. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
  10. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp butter in large saute pan. Add mushrooms and asparagus and cook until mushrooms are browned and asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes. Add to pan with chicken.
  11. Serve warm with crusty bread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4-6 Serving Size: 573 g
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 661Total Fat: 38.3gSaturated Fat: 12.07gTrans Fat: .38gUnsaturated Fat: 22.3gCholesterol: 223mgSodium: 1031mgCarbohydrates: 17.1gFiber: 3.4gSugar: 5.4gProtein: 42.1g

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© Wine a Little Cook A Lot
Cuisine: French / Category: Dinner

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