Photographer: John Paul Urizar. Stylist: Vivien Walsh.
Julie Goodwin’s easy recipe for coq au vin, the classic French dish, is slow cooked in the oven until rich and flavoursome. It makes a deliciously hearty and comforting family meal served with mashed potato or crusty bread.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 140°C (120°C fan-forced). Combine flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Coat chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour.
Add the olive oil to a large heavy-based pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Add the speck to the same pan and cook for about 1 minute or until browned lightly. Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic and thyme; cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened and fragrant.
Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour the brandy into pan, followed by red wine. Bring to the boil, then return chicken pieces to pan. Add the bay leaf. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or double layer of foil and bake for 1½ hours. Remove lid; cook for a further 30 minutes.
If sauce is too thin, you may remove the chicken pieces and turn the oven up to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Cook sauce, uncovered for another 10-15 minutes before returning chicken to pot.
Serve coq au vin with crusty bread or mashed potatoes and green vegetables, if desired.
What is coq au vin?
Coq au vin, pronounced “kok-oh-vahn”, is a classic French dish of slow cooked chicken in red wine. The key ingredients are:
Chicken pieces: Budget-friendly, bone-in cuts like wings, thighs and drumsticks stay juicy and soak up the flavours beautifully.
Red wine: Choose a full-bodied drop, such as shiraz, to add depth to the braise.
Speck: This cured ham has a distinctive smoky flavour, but can be substituted with bacon.
Mushrooms: This recipe uses the common variety of mild and firm button mushrooms.
Thyme and bay leaf: Classic French herbs to add rustic fragrance and flavour.
How to make the best mashed potato
This Test Kitchen recipe for really smooth mashed potatoes involves no special equipment. Our tip? Use hot milk.
This Julie Goodwin recipe ran in The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2013 and was published online in 2025.
