Coq au Vin

Chicken slow-braised in red wine with mushrooms, pearl onions and lardons — the ultimate French bistro comfort dish.

Coq au vin — chicken braised in red wine — is the quintessential French peasant dish, born from the need to tenderise old, tough roosters (coq) that were no longer laying eggs. Red wine was the braising liquid because it was cheap and abundant in wine-producing regions. The dish was historically associated with Burgundy, Alsace and the Auvergne, each using the local wine. Julia Child's version, demonstrated on American television, introduced it to a generation of home cooks. The essential technique is patience — the lardons, pearl onions and mushrooms must be cooked separately and added at the right time, not thrown in together.

Use a whole chicken cut into pieces — not just breast. The wine must be good enough to drink. Brown everything very well before braising. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.