Coq Au Vin is an incredibly easy special occasion meal - especially for wintry nights. Three of our chefs highly recommend Mark Bittman’s recipe.

Some options for your dish related to this recipe:

1. If you prefer to use only chicken breasts, leave bone-in and halve.
2. Consider removing the lid and regulating the heat as much as possible to create a thicker sauce.
3. If your sauce appears too thin, add a roux (equal parts butter and flour quickly cooked together on stovetop) to the sauce in small amounts.
4. The recommended recipe does NOT include fried bacon strips (or pancetta) which is a great and traditional option. To add bacon, cut 4 strips of bacon into 1 inch pieces and fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside on a paper towel. Add 2 Tbsp of butter (or canola oil rather than olive oil) to the pot before searing your chicken. You can throw the bacon into the pot at the end of cooking.
5. Coq Au Vin is a great one pot dish, use a dutch oven or heavy casserole.
6. Use a Burgundy wine.

We hope you enjoy preparing this French classic chicken stew. Please note that Chefs Cary Wolfson and Chef Julie Riordan are accomplished French chefs who would be happy to talk you through your dish and provide you with step by step instructions while you’re cooking. Just give us a call at the Culinary Hotline at 1-800-977-1224.

PS If you would like to prepare an equally delish French stew less wine centric and perhaps more appropriate for an “everyday” meal, Chef Julie has a perfect recipe for Chicken Bouillabaisse. Just let us know and we will share her exclusive chef recipe with you.

Thanks for writing to ChefsLine@5 Robert from Ohio!