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Golden chicken, silky white-wine sauce, tender mushrooms and crispy pancetta. This coq au vin blanc is pure French comfort. One pot, big flavour, total crowd-pleaser.
“Had this for dinner last night, delicious.”
Nicky’s Notes
Oh yes, this is a fancy one. Any meal that calls for half a bottle of wine is pretty fancy in my opinion.
This is a recipe I like to make on a Friday night, when the kids aren’t around (they’re older teenagers, so I don’t think I’ll ever see them on a Friday night again). I still make four servings, because:
- A – It’s delicious and we’re a bit greedy,
- B – Any leftovers make the most spectacular lunch, reheated the next day with a wedge of bread to dip in the sauce,
- C – Chicken legs always seem to come in packs of four and I can’t be bothered dividing the pack!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for Coq au vin blanc
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
Best wine for coq au vin blanc
A dry-ish white is usually best – nothing too floral or oaky. A dry or off-dry (slightly sweet) Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Blanc/Gris/Grigio will all balance the creaminess of the sauce and the richness of the pancetta nicely.
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Dust the chicken legs with flour and seasoning, then fry in oil and butter until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Fry pancetta, remove from pan. Fry onion, leek, mushroom, garlic. Stir through flour, add wine, then stock, thyme and chicken legs. Simmer until the chicken is cooked, then add cream and pancetta. Heat through and serve.
Recipe Tips
- If you prefer to use chicken breast, reduce wine to 360ml (1.5 cups) and reduce the simmering time by 10-15 mins (5 mins lid-on, 15-20 mins lid-off) – until the chicken is cooked through.
- Use a wide, shallow casserole pan or frying pan, so the sauce reduces quickly
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
- Pappardelle pasta or creamy mashed potato
- Steamed kale or some garlicky spring greens
- Chunks of fresh bread or garlic bread
Can you make Coq au Vin Blanc ahead?
You will lose the crispness of the pancetta, but yes, you can make ahead.
Make the dish, the cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days.
Reheat gently on the hob (stovetop) – with a lid on for the first 7-8 minutes (to prevent too much evaporation and to allow the heat to circulate better). Then remove the lid, stir through a little more stock or cream if it needs more liquid, and continue to heat for a few more minutes, stirring a couple of times, until the chicken is piping hot throughout.
Coq au vin blanc recipe
Ingredients
Chicken and Pancetta:
- 15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 4 chicken legs thighs and drumsticks attached – or you could do separate thighs and drumsticks and reduce the cooking time by 10 minutes
- 1 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 170 g (6 oz) pancetta cubes or bacon lardons
Sauce:
- 1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium leek sliced, washed and patted dry
- 200 g (7oz)brown mushrooms (chestnut/cremini) sliced (this is about 6 medium mushrooms)
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- 480 ml (2 cups) dry white wine
- 180 ml (2/3 cup) chicken stock
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) double/heavy cream
- handful chopped parsley, to serve
Instructions
- Melt the butter and oil together in a large shallow casserole or large frying pan/skillet.15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter, ½ tbsp olive oil
- Coat the chicken in the flour mixed with the salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pan and brown all over (about 4-5 minutes per side), remove from the pan and place on a plate.4 chicken legs, 1 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Add the pancetta to the pan and cook for a 2-3 minutes, until the pancetta just starts to look golden at the edges. Remove from the pan and place on a small plate.170 g (6 oz) pancetta cubes
- Add the onions the the bacon-y oil left in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, until just starting to soften.1 medium onion
- Add the leek and mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the leek starts to soften, then stir in the garlic. Sprinkle on the remaining 1 tbsp of flour and stir through.1 medium leek, 200 g (7oz)brown mushrooms (chestnut/cremini), 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- Slowly pour in the wine, while stirring. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 2 minutes.480 ml (2 cups) dry white wine
- Add the stock and thyme, stir, then add the browned chicken back into the pan. Bring to a boil, then then turn down the heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.180 ml (2/3 cup) chicken stock, 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- After 15 minutes, remove the lid and simmer for a further 25-30 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce slightly (it should still be very saucy). Check the chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the chicken right to the bone. If the juices run clear, it's cooked.
- Add the cream and cooked pancetta to the coq au vin blanc, stir, and heat through for a further couple of minutes. Test for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper to taste, then serve. I like to serve mine with with pasta and kale. Top with the chopped parsley.120 ml (1/2 cup) double/heavy cream, handful chopped parsley, to serve
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was first posted in March 2015. Updated since with recipe improvements, new photos and for housekeeping reasons.
🍲 More creamy chicken recipes
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Thanks for the fabulous recioe Nicky!
This was delicious and I will be making again for a ‘french’ evening with friends. Can I freeze the left over sauce and use it again?
Thank you for your advice Nicky
Just made this soo tasty went down a treat
Had this for dinner last night, delicious.
YES, wine and chicken! This sounds super tasty! Can’t wait to try!
Thanks Lokness, hope you enjoy it 🙂
Yum!!
🙂
This does sound flippin amazing! Pinning, tweeting, calling all cars!!!
heh heh thanks Julie 🙂
Phew! You had me worried there for a bit :)). Gorgeous plated chicken, your pictures are awesome too!
Thank you Loretta 🙂
I would have googled it after feeding it to my kids too!! Looks wonderful 🙂
It’s a hard one isn’t it! Christmas cake with brandy in, sherry trifle, tiramisu – all these delicious foods laced with booze. I’m pretty sure I ate them all as a kid though!