Coq au vin blanc is a French recipe of chicken in a white wine sauce, my recipe uses chicken legs, lots of bacon, mushrooms, and baby onions.
Traditionally served with a mash I like to add whole baby potatoes to my recipe to make it a wonderful one-pot meal that is just as easy to make for 2 as it is for 10.
Chicken in White Wine Sauce without Cream
French food is synonymous with fancy food, wee portions, and that whole “cordon bleu” thing. But classic French food is comfort food heaven.
Stuffed full of hearty and wonderful stews and casseroles, even the name casserole is French in origin.
Dishes like beef bourguignon and cassoulet are heavyweights in the world of comfort food. Even the quite fancy sounding chicken en croute is relatively simple and properly comforting.
Coq au vin is also right up there, but coq au vin blanc is a traditional variant.
Drop the name into Google translate and you will note the name does what it says on the tin, chicken with white wine.
My version adds classic flavourings like bacon, onions and mushrooms.
The whole baby potatoes are not quite so “trad” but I think that it makes a wonderful addition and turns this into a great one-pot meal.
I choose to use just chicken legs as it makes this dish a perfect meal for two people. Let’s face it they also taste awesome, I take the same approach with my basque chicken recipe!
Some people add cream to their sauce. But it really adds nothing as far as I am concerned and it certainly is not traditional, so I go with no cream!
Frequently Asked Questions
What wine should I use?
Sauvignon blanc or Chardonnay wines are both good white wines to use in this recipe. However, I typically use a Riesling, a white wine from Germany with a lovely acidity and some floral notes.
Most importantly you should look for a dry white wine and avoid anything sweet or semi-sweet.
Can I cook this in a slow cooker?
Yes, this works really well in a slow cooker, follow all of the instructions for sauteing ingredients and transfer to your crockpot.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours adding the browned baby onions and mushrooms for the final 30 minutes.
Can I use chicken breasts?
I usually avoid chicken breasts for this dish. Traditionally it would have been made with the whole bird breasts included, but that would have used a broiler bird.
Modern chooks have a far lower fat level and because of this, the breasts can dry out. Asa result, if you are using chicken breasts only cook them for half to a third of the time you cook the legs for.
Can I make this for more people?
Yup, you can scale this recipe up really well and it takes no additional cooking time other than for preparation and sauteing.
Serving Suggestions
I have structured this coq au vin blanc recipe to be a one-pot meal. The only thing that you need to add is some bread to mop up that wonderful white wine sauce.
I would go with a crunchy French stick usually although this French country loaf would be wonderful too.
A great side with coq au vin is a mash. Now I already have potatoes but if you want to serve with mash you can just omit the spuds.
The obvious mash to add is a buttery mashed potato.
But I would urge you to try either a celeriac mash or swede and carrot mash. Both are a much better match for this chicken in white wine sauce recipe.
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Stovetop.
- 24cm or 10″ casserole pan or Dutch oven with a lid.
- Oven.
- Chopping board.
- Kicthen knife.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Kicthen tongs, stirring and serving spoons.
Coq Au Vin Blanc Recipe
Easy coq au vin blanc, a delicious french casserole of chicken, bacon, and mushrooms braised in a simple white wine sauce, comfort food at its very best.
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Legs
- 200g (7oz) Thick Cut Streaky Bacon
- 100g (⅔ Cup) Onion
- 25g (1 Tbsp + 2 Tsp) Butter
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 12 Garlic Cloves
- 225g (1 Cup) New Potatoes
- 500ml (2 Cups) White Wine
- 250ml (1 Cup) Chicken Stock
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- ½ Tsp Black Pepper
- 6-10 Shallots
- 125g (1 Cup) Small Mushrooms
Instructions
- Cut the onion into a 5mm (¼") dice.
- Slice the bacon into 5mm (¼") thick batons across the grain of the slice.
- Separate the chicken legs into thighs and drumsticks (optional).
- Heat a heavy-based 24cm or 10" casserole pan over a medium heat and when the pan is hot add the olive oil and half of the butter.
- Season the chicken legs with the salt and pepper and add them to the hot oil and butter mix.
- Cook the chicken until it is nicely golden on all sides, then remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.
- Add the diced onion to the pan along with the bacon batons and cook for 8 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Throw in the garlic (do not remove the skin) and new potatoes, then cook for two minutes.
- Turn the heat under the pan to maximum and pour in the white wine and reduce by half.
- Pour in the chicken stock and add the thyme and bay leaf.
- Place the chicken legs in the pan and then add a tightly fitting lid.
- Cook in the oven at 150°C or 300°F for 2 hours.
- About 30 minutes before serving peel the pearl onions and trim the mushrooms.
- Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan and when it foams add the onions and mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and pearl onions to the pan with the chicken and cook with a lid on for a final 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1239Total Fat: 67gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 42gCholesterol: 430mgSodium: 2413mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 103g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.