White Wine Coq Au Vin

Coq au vin ("chicken in wine") is one of those classic full-on comfort foods that are so good it's difficult, once you've had it, to imagine a time before it existed. The dish is a staple all over the French countryside, where there are dozens of regional variations, but it took Julia Child and her iconic cookbook to popularize it here in the states.

For those who have and love Dutch ovens, there may be no more perfect dish to make it one than a pot of coq au vin, which can simmer away on the stove, and then in the oven for hours, making the house smell amazing, before coming to the table for a Sunday supper.

Julia Child popularized using a deep red Burgundy wine, which gives the dish a vibrant color and a deeper, darker flavor. But here we're recommending a dryer white wine for a dish that's every bit as rich but just slightly less formidable. The French have been known to make this dish with every kind of wine possible, from effervescent Beaujolais nouveau to sparkling Champagne. Feel free to experiment and try it several ways. It's hard to miss!

What's the meaning of coq au vin?

This French country dish, which translates literally to "cock (or rooster) in wine" was a dish borne primarily of necessity. On farms, where nothing is wasted, when it was time to cook an older rooster, you couldn't simply roast it: the meat was too tough. So farmers began to simply braise it in the most flavorful liquid they had at hand, which was typically a bottle of wine.

Luckily, you can make this dish with any poultry, and the results are fantastic.

What do the French eat with coq au vin? What did Julia Child serve?

Travel to France and order the dish in any restaurant (or be lucky enough to try a home-cooked version) and you'll likely find that the side dishes are as varied as the recipe itself. However, many restaurants will serve it over buttered noodles, similar to Beef Stroganoff, or occasionally over a bed of mashed potatoes.

Julia Child recommended it with a side of parsley potatoes and buttered green peas ("if you want something green").

We'd highly recommend it with anything starchy, from rice, to pasta, to potatoes, but especially a nice crusty loaf of bread, which lets everyone sop up the delicious sauce that the dish has cooked in.

Does the alcohol cook off when you cook with wine?

While many chefs over the years have claimed that the alcohol cooks off in any kind of wine dish, recent studies have shown that it doesn't. However, even in a dish such as this, which calls for an entire bottle of wine, a diner would become full far sooner than she or he would feel the effects from eating a sauce.

If you're serving someone who is concerned about even the smallest amount of alcohol in their food—which is okay!—you can still make this dish. Nonalcoholic wines are now much more widely available, and can easily be substituted. Additionally, you can simply make this with a similar amount—just over 3 cups—of chicken stock, instead.

Tried this recipe? Tell us what you thought in the comments below!