Coq au Vin Rosé (Printable)

Tender chicken braised in rosé wine with cream, mushrooms, and aromatic herbs for an elegant French meal.

# What You Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 3 1/4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks recommended)

→ Marinade & Sauce

02 - 2 cups dry rosé wine
03 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
04 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
07 - 7 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, quartered
08 - 1 small leek, white and light green parts, sliced
09 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
10 - 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (optional, for thickening)
11 - 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
12 - 1 bay leaf
13 - 4 sprigs fresh thyme
14 - 1 sprig fresh rosemary
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

16 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How-To:

01 - Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces on all sides in batches, approximately 5 minutes per batch. Transfer browned chicken to a plate and set aside.
03 - In the same pot, add chopped onions, sliced carrots, and leek. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add quartered mushrooms and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
04 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
05 - Sprinkle flour over vegetables if using, and stir thoroughly to coat all vegetables.
06 - Pour in rosé wine while scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Return chicken pieces to the pot. Add bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprig.
07 - Bring liquid to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook gently over low heat for 45 minutes until chicken is very tender and easily pulls from the bone.
08 - Remove herb sprigs from the pot. Stir in heavy cream and simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and develops a glossy appearance. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
09 - Transfer chicken pieces and sauce to serving dishes. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately.

# Insider Tips:

01 -
  • The rosé keeps everything tender and aromatic without the weight of red wine, so you can actually serve this in warmer months.
  • That creamy pink sauce clings to every piece of chicken and tastes like you simmered it all day, even though it comes together in under two hours.
  • It looks impressive on the table but uses one pot, which means less cleanup and more time to sit down with everyone.
02 -
  • Don't skip browning the chicken in batches, crowding the pot steams the meat and you lose all that caramelized flavor that makes the sauce deep and complex.
  • Use a wine you'd actually drink, because cheap sweet rosé will make the whole dish taste like candy instead of savory and elegant.
  • Let the sauce simmer uncovered at the end or it stays too thin and watery, those extra minutes make it glossy and rich.
03 -
  • Let the chicken come to room temperature for 15 minutes before browning so it cooks more evenly and the skin crisps faster.
  • Save any leftover sauce and toss it with pasta the next day, it's almost better than the original meal.
  • If the sauce is too thin at the end, pull out the chicken and boil it down hard for a few minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
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