Weeknight Coq au Vin with Bacon, Mushrooms and Pearl Onions

Steps

1. Step 1

   Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Scoop the bacon onto a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.

   8 min

   • 4 oz thick-cut bacon
2. Step 2

   Season the chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high and brown them skin side down in the bacon fat, without moving them, until deep golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Flip and brown 3 minutes more, then move to the plate. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat.

   10 min

   • 2 1/2 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6)
   • kosher salt
   • black pepper
3. Step 3

   Add the mushrooms and frozen pearl onions to the pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until the liquid they give off has cooked away and the vegetables are browning, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then sprinkle over the flour and stir 1 minute more.

   9 min

   • 8 oz cremini mushrooms
   • 10 oz frozen pearl onions
   • 3 cloves garlic
   • 2 tbsp tomato paste
   • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
4. Step 4

   Pour in the wine and broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits. Add the thyme, bay leaf and cooked bacon and bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken thighs in skin side up, along with any juices from the plate, so the skin sits above the liquid.

   5 min

   • 2 cups dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Merlot
   • 1 cup chicken broth
   • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
   • 1 bay leaf
5. Step 5

   Cover, lower the heat so the liquid barely bubbles, and simmer until the chicken is very tender and the sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes. Uncover for the last 15 minutes if the sauce still looks thin.

   45 min, hands-off

6. Step 6

   Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water by an inch and add a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until a knife slides in with no resistance, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain well, then return them to the hot pot for a minute to dry out.

   20 min

   • 2 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
7. Step 7

   Mash the potatoes with the butter, then stir in the warm milk a little at a time until creamy. Season with salt and cover to keep warm.

   5 min

   • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
   • 3/4 cup whole milk
   • kosher salt
8. Step 8

   Fish out the thyme sprigs and bay leaf and taste the sauce for salt and pepper. Spoon the mashed potatoes into shallow bowls, set a chicken thigh on each and ladle over plenty of sauce with the bacon, mushrooms and onions. Scatter with parsley.

   • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Where it’s from

Written by AI from an idea

Version 1, saved Oct 4, 2026