I’m going with “white wine chicken” here, because “coq au vin blanc” is way more annoying to type on repeat.
This is one of those dishes that is so simple on paper, you wonder how it’s gonna deliver in the face. But it does. And it’s practically a whole meal in and of itself.
I like to make this white wine chicken dish with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because they cook relatively quickly and evenly, unlike breaking down a whole bird.
Rendering down the fat and crisping up the skin may seem silly for a braised dish, but it gives a lovely depth of flavor to the pan sauce. All that delicious caramelization that happens when browning the skin is worth the extra ten minutes.
The trick here is first to braise the chicken thighs covered with a lid for the first 15 minutes in the oven. That gets them all mingling in that flavor-packed wine sauce to start with. But then you want to cook them uncovered for the last blast of oven heat to dry the surface of that chicken skin before serving. Just say no to soggy skin, people.
(It’s entirely non-traditional, but you can also pop your white wine chicken thighs under the broiler at the end for a couple minutes to reaaally re-crisp that skin if you’ve got the craving to do so.)
I originally wanted to use pearl onions in this dish, but could I find any, anyhere? No, no I could not. Not for love nor money could I avail myself of a pearl onion, frozen or otherwise. Which led me to use these quartered up shallots and discover that they’re actually way better.
I think the shallots might have been my favorite part of this dish. They mellow and soften, but still hold a hint of almost-crunchiness that gives you the best of both worlds: rich and delicious meets delightfully not-mushy. Huzzah.
I also left my garlic cloves in here almost whole, just smashed up a bit with the back of a knife. You can either fish ’em out, leave ’em in if you like playing Garlic Clove Roulette, or simply ignore me altogether and mince your cloves should you choose. Up to you!
Lastly, this one pan white wine chicken & vegetables is practically a meal on its own, but I highly recommend serving it on a bed of my Creamiest Parsnip & Cauliflower Mash. No one’s gonna be mad about a mound of fluffy mash, let’s be honest with ourselves, shall we?!
(Don’t want to cook with wine? No worries! Replace the white wine with additional chicken broth and add a splash or two of white wine vinegar or lemon juice for some zing!)
PrintOne Pan White Wine Chicken & Vegetables (Coq Au Vin Blanc)
This simple braised white wine chicken is a lighter take on classic Coq Au Vin recipes, packed with vegetables & made with thighs for a speedier dinner.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: comfort food
- Method: oven
Ingredients
- 6 oz / 170 g thick sliced bacon, about 4 slices
- 2 1/2 lbs / 1135 g bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 6
- 6 medium shallots
- 3/4 lb / 340 g carrots, about 3
- 1/2 lb / 225 g mushrooms
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 cup / 240 ml dry white wine, see notes
- 1 cup / 240 ml chicken broth
- handful of fresh thyme sprigs
- one or two sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2 tsp / 8 g cassava flour, I like this one
Instructions
BROWN: Roughly chop the bacon and add it to a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve for later. Pat the chicken thighs dry, then cook the chicken thighs, skin side down, in the rendered bacon fat until the skin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and reserve the chicken – skin side up this time – on a plate to catch any juices.
CHOP: While the bacon and chicken are browning, slice the shallots into quarters through the root end and peel them. Peel and thinly slice the carrots. Wipe clean and slice the mushrooms. Peel & lightly smash the garlic.
SOFTEN: Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C. Pour off most of the rendered bacon and chicken fat, leaving behind a couple of tablespoons in the skillet and reserving the rest for other uses. Add the shallots, carrots, mushrooms & garlic to the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have cooked off their liquid, the vegetables have begun to brown in places & the garlic begun to soften, about 10 minutes.
DEGLAZE: Turn off the stove top and add a splash or two of white wine to the skillet, stirring up all the delicious browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining white wine & the chicken broth. Stir through the reserved bacon bits and use tongs to add the browned chicken thighs back to the pan, nestling them into the cooking liquid by gently pushing the vegetables aside to make little wells for each piece. Sprinkle with salt, to taste, then tuck in the fresh herbs.
BRAISE: Cover the skillet with a lid or piece of foil, then cook in the oven for 15 minutes. Increase the oven to 400 F / 205 C, remove the lid and cook until the chicken is done and the skin has re-crisped a little, about another 10 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken to a plate to rest.
THICKEN: Pop the skillet back onto the stove top over medium heat and bring the cooking liquid – there should still be plenty! – up to a simmer. Measure the cassava flour into a little bowl or jug and add enough water to stir it into a smooth slurry. Add the cassava flour slurry to the skillet, stirring it through, and cook for a minute or so, until the sauce has thickened and is glossy. Remove from the heat.
SERVE: Divide the chicken and vegetables between plates, spooning over the pan sauce. This is especially delicious served on a bed of my Creamiest Parsnip & Cauliflower Mash!
Notes
- Don’t want to cook with wine? No worries! Replace the white wine with additional chicken broth and add a splash or two of white wine vinegar or lemon juice for some zing!
- If you like things especially saucy, add an extra 1 cup / 240 ml of chicken broth before braising and thicken with an additional 1 tsp / 4 g of cassava flour.
- For extra crispy chicken skin, you could pop the chicken thighs under a broiler on their own for a few minutes, but watch them very carefully so that they don’t burn!
Rachael, once again you’ve blown me away! This looks amazing – and surprisingly simple! I can’t say I’ve ever had Coq Au Vin Blanc but you’ve made me want to try it.