Easy Coq au Vin
Chicken Coq au Vin, a classic French recipe made a little easier and naturally low carb!
If you’re a follower of my blog you know very well that I am not the least bit French. Full blooded Italian here but I do love classic dishes and this Coq au Vin is one of them. It’s a rustic French dish and Coq in French actually means rooster or cock. Considered a tough bird braising was the method to achieve perfect tenderness. Coq au Vin became popular when Julia Child frequently shared it on her PBS cooking show in the 1960’s.
A standard recipe calls for chicken, salt pork or bacon, onions, garlic, mushrooms and red wine, often burgundy. It’s usually marinated in wine, seared in fat and slowly simmered until tender which can tend to take hours in the ktichen. I don’t know about you but as a busy mom of three, I’ve got no time for that!
What I do have time for is tasty recipes that can get my main entree complete in under an hour and all I need to do is add a simple side. This easier Coq au Vin is that recipe!
Served over my Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Provolone Rice and it is divine! It’s a hearty comforting meal that leaves you feeling completely satisfied but still all low in carbs!
Hardly any was left when my family tried this chicken. Succulent, soft, melt in your mouth delicious! My kids truly raved about it saying it was the best chicken I’ve made in a long time, lol!
Easy Chicken Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 4 ounces sugar free bacon I used Wellshire
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil or preference
- 8 chicken thighs skin on, bone in, about 3.5 pounds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms cut in half
- 6 ounces frozen pearl onions
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder or use cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven.
- Remove from Dutch oven and set aside.
- Add the oil to the Dutch oven and place in 4 thighs.
- Season thighs with salt and pepper.
- Brown thighs on each side and transfer to a plate.
- Cook remaining 4 thighs in Dutch oven until browned.
- Transfer remaining thighs to plate.
- Add mushrooms and onions to Dutch oven and cook until softened.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic and wine.
- Cook on medium heat until wine is reduced by half then add broth.
- Bring to a simmer then place chicken thighs back into Dutch oven.
- Reduce heat to low, partially cover, gently simmer.
- Turn chicken over after 20 minutes and continue to cook another 20 minutes or until thighs are cooked through and onion is tender.
- In a small bowl whisk together arrowroot and water until dissolved.
- Remove chicken from Dutch oven and keep warm.
- Pour arrowroot mixture into pot with mushrooms and onions.
- Bring to a boil.
- Stir until thickened then return chicken and bacon back into Dutch oven.
- Top with fresh chopped parsley over Roasted Garlic Provolone Cauliflower Rice!
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Hi Brenda,
Made your Coq au vin tonight and it was an absolut winner! I did cook the original recipe often years ago, but as my husband and I were longing for the flavor tonight I was looking for an easy recipe which is low carb as well. This was so delicious, our kids loved it as well, served it with some buttery cauliflower and peas. We all decided that this has to go on our favorite dinner list. Thank you so much Brenda! Greetings from Phuket, Thailand!