Chicken Breast Coq Au Vin: Quick and Easy Recipe for a French Classic

French cooking used to be the epitome of elegance and refinery in the culinary world. Back in the day, the French techniques, sauces, and glazes were considered the best. Any other culinary training was surely not up to snuff to be considered “fine dining”. But why? from the classics like coq au vin to boeuf bourguignon everything is just so…brown (or purple in my case!).

GIve me color, give me flavor, maybe even a vegetable. I much prefer Italian, Japanese, Indian, or Mexican to French cuisine. But still, I can feel the French culinary gods staring down their noses at me while they consume their delicate, congealed demi glace.

And so, allow me to put my nose up to the French and make a version of coq au vin that is quick, easy, and delicious. I’m making chicken breast coq au vin to reduce the cooking time and also make it easier to eat! I do not get the appeal of bone in anything (I know, blasphemous!) so let’s use chicken breast. And no, it won’t dry out because we aren’t going to over cook it and yes, it will be juicy from delicious red wine.

After all, that’s what coq au vin is; rooster in wine! So rooster (i.e. chicken) in a red wine sauce. This chicken breast coq au vin recipe goes well with mashed potatoes; the perfect accompaniment to red wine sauce. So, try this recipe next time you want to be fancy and pretentious like the French. But, you know, fake it a little and do it the easy way!

Serves 4

Suggested Wine Pairing:

You will need 1 cup of wine to make this recipe and you can also drink that wine while you cook and when you dine! Opt for a burgundy or pinot noir.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

8 ounces of button mushrooms, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

8 ounces of pearl onions, fresh (skin removed) or frozen

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 tablespoons of butter, divided

1 cup of red wine

1 cup of chicken stock

2 tablespoons of flour

1 teaspoon of thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley for the pretty

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan with a lid, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Liberally salt, pepper, and sprinkle thyme on both sides of the chicken breast. Add to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes each side, just to brown. Remove from the pan.
2. To the same pan add 2 more tablespoons of butter and add the mushrooms, carrots, and pearl onions. Reduce the heat to medium and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds, until just fragrant, and then stir in the flour. Whisk or stir it to incorporate and slightly cook off the raw edge for another minute or so, before adding the wine and chicken stock, stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
4. Whisk any lumps in the sauce as necessary and reduce the heat to medium low. Add the chicken back into the sauce and cook for about 20 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
5. To serve, transfer the chicken and sauce to a platter or divide between plates and garnish with fresh parsley. Bon appetit!