Recipe: Daniel Boulud’s Coq au Vin

“I was born and raised on comfort food. We weren’t rich but we lived well,” says Daniel Boulud, chef-owner of Wine Spectator Grand Award winner Daniel and a range of other restaurants in New York City and beyond. (Plus he was the cover star of our Aug. 31, 2024, issue.) “We ate comfort food all the time, but great memories of it was on Sunday, because we had more of an elaborate meal.” Boulud grew up on a farm near Lyon, where he lived the seasonality touted by so many these days, eating hearty dishes like this wintery French classic, coq au vin. (Read more in “Hearth and Home” from the Dec. 15, 2021, issue.)

As a pairing, Wine Spectator suggests a structured and almost “old-school” style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, like the No. 7 wine of 2024. (Use a similar but lower-priced wine to cook with, such as a Côtes du Rhône.)

Ingredients

• 2 bottles dry, full-bodied red wine
• 2 chickens (3 ½ pounds each), divided into 4 breasts, 4 thighs and 4 legs
• 4 celery stalks, peeled and cut into 2-inch batons
• 2 heads garlic, sliced in half
• 2 pounds small button mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
• 1 pound pearl onions, peeled
• ½ pound slab bacon, cut into ¼-inch batons
• 1 sachet (8 sprigs thyme, 1 fresh bay leaf, 2 teaspoons coriander seed, 1 teaspoon cracked white pepper, all tied up in cheesecloth with butcher’s twine)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups unsalted chicken stock
• ½ bunch fresh parsley, leaves picked
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, reduce the wine by half and set aside to cool. Place the chicken in a large container with the celery, garlic, mushrooms, onions, bacon and sachet. Cover all ingredients with the reduced, cooled wine and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

2. The next day, preheat the oven to 325° F. Drain all ingredients from the wine and reserve each separately. Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry and then season it well with salt and pepper. Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring, until browned, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Sear the chicken on all sides in the bacon fat (you may need to do this in batches). Remove the chicken; add the vegetables and sachet and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for another 4 minutes.

4. Add the wine, crisped bacon, chicken and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, cover with a round of parchment paper and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours, stirring and basting the chicken at least three times, until the chicken is tender.

5. If the sauce seems too thin, remove the chicken and vegetables, return to the heat and reduce until desired consistency is reached (it should coat the back of a spoon). Incorporate all ingredients back together and serve, garnished with the parsley.
Serves 6.