Coq au vin recipe: Daniel Boulud's Sunday braise

Coq au vin is chicken braised slowly in red wine until the sauce turns dark and the meat falls from the bone, a dish chef Daniel Boulud grew up eating on Sundays at his family's farm near Lyon.

Boulud's version, published by Wine Spectator, departs from the simplest home cooks' method in one key way: the wine is reduced by half and cooled before the chicken ever touches it. That extra step concentrates the wine's flavour before it goes anywhere near the heat, so the braising liquid starts richer and the long cook in the oven only deepens it further rather than trying to build flavour from scratch.

This version scales his restaurant method down for a home kitchen, keeping the overnight marinade that makes the difference between a thin pan sauce and one that actually tastes of the bottle you poured.

Reduce the wine before the chicken ever meets it, and the sauce tastes like it simmered twice as long.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle (750 ml) dry, full-bodied red wine, such as Côtes du Rhône
• 1 whole chicken (about 1.8 kg), jointed into 8 pieces
• 2 celery stalks, cut into batons
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
• 400 g small button mushrooms, trimmed
• 250 g pearl onions, peeled
• 150 g slab bacon, cut into small batons
• 4 thyme sprigs, 1 fresh bay leaf, 1 tsp coriander seeds and ½ tsp cracked black pepper, tied in a muslin sachet
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 500 ml unsalted chicken stock
• A handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Pour the wine into a saucepan and simmer until reduced by half, then let it cool completely; reducing it first concentrates the flavour the marinade will pass on to the chicken overnight.
2. Put the chicken, celery, garlic, mushrooms, onions, bacon and herb sachet in a large non-reactive container, pour over the cooled wine, cover and refrigerate overnight so the meat takes on colour and flavour before any heat is applied.
3. The next day, heat the oven to 160°C. Lift out the chicken and vegetables, reserving the wine and the solids separately, then pat the chicken dry and season well; a dry surface browns instead of steaming.
4. Brown the bacon in a large casserole over medium heat and set it aside, then sear the chicken pieces in the bacon fat until deeply coloured on all sides, working in batches so the pan stays hot.
5. Remove the chicken and cook the drained vegetables and sachet in the same fat for about 5 minutes until browned, then stir in the flour and cook for 4 more minutes to lose its raw taste before any liquid goes in.
6. Return the wine, bacon and chicken to the casserole, add the stock, bring to a simmer, cover with a round of baking paper and transfer to the oven for 1 to 1½ hours, basting the chicken two or three times so it stays moist as the sauce reduces.
7. If the sauce still runs thin once the chicken is tender, lift everything out, reduce the liquid on the stovetop until it coats the back of a spoon, then return the chicken and vegetables and scatter with parsley before serving.

What to drink with it

Cook with a wine good enough to drink, since its character carries straight through to the sauce; a Côtes du Rhône or similar Rhône blend works well and costs far less than the grander Burgundies the dish is often paired with at the table. Boulud was the lead honouree at the James Beard Foundation's 40th anniversary gala this week, a reminder that dishes like this one, built on patience rather than technique for its own sake, are what built his reputation long before the accolades did.

Leftovers improve overnight in the fridge, as the sauce keeps absorbing flavour from the bacon and vegetables; reheat gently on the stove rather than in the microwave so the chicken doesn't toughen.

Can coq au vin be made ahead? Yes, and it should be: cook it a day in advance, cool and refrigerate, then reheat gently before serving, since the sauce only gets better overnight.