White Wine Coq Au Vin Recipe (Chicken in Wine Sauce)
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White Wine Coq Au Vin is a delightful twist on a classic French chicken recipe, traditionally cooked in a red wine sauce.
Our version of coq au vin is infused with the crisp notes of dry white wine and smoked sausage, paired with Brussels sprouts, offering a refreshing take on a beloved classic.
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While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we suggest reading the entire blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
White Wine Coq Au Vin
Coq au vin, which translates to “chicken in wine,” is a staple in French cuisine.
Julia Child, the renowned chef, brought this dish to the forefront of American home cooks’ minds with her easy recipes and passion for French cooking.
The classic coq au vin recipe often uses red wine, bacon lardons, and pearl onions. The wine tenderizes the chicken as it cooks.
However, our white wine coq au vin recipe introduces a lighter, more delicate flavor profile with the use of dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.
Smoked sausage and Brussels sprouts add a touch of earthiness and a burst of green, making it the perfect dish for any season.
If you are looking for chicken recipes with lots of flavor try our One-Pan Chicken with Lemon Orzo Spinach and Feta, Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken and Vegetables, and Instant Pot Chicken Marsala recipes.
Chicken in White Wine Sauce
Cooking this dish requires some essential tools.
A Dutch oven is ideal as it evenly distributes heat, ensuring the chicken cooks perfectly.
Using paper towels to pat the chicken dry ensures a deep golden brown skin and a wooden spoon is perfect for scraping up those delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
The browned chicken pieces create a flavorful pan sauce combined with the white wine sauce.
The beauty of our easy coq au vin blanc recipe lies in its versatility.
It’s comfort food that is elegant enough for a dinner party but simple enough for a weeknight meal.
Imagine enjoying this succulent chicken, simmered in a rich white wine sauce, on a chilly evening with some crusty bread on the side.
It’s the kind of meal that warms you from the inside out.
To cut through the richness, serve coq au vin with Green Beans or a simple salad with vinegar and oil dressing.
You’ll also want something to soak up the amazing wine sauce, such as crusty bread, Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, or some plain egg noodles.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
The ingredients and tools in this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers like Amazon or Amazon Fresh.
Ingredients Needed For White Wine Coq Au Vin
- Fresh Produce – Shallot, Garlic, Brussels Sprouts, Lemon
- Protein – Chicken Thighs and Legs, Smoked Sausage
- Chilled & Dairy – Butter, Heavy Cream
- Pantry – Kosher Salt, Black Pepper
- All-Purpose Flour – also known as Plain Flour.
- Dry White Wine – Use wine that you enjoy drinking.
- Chicken Broth/Stock
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post.
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Equipment Needed For This Recipe
- Dutch Oven – A thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. In the UK, this would be a cast iron casserole dish with a lid that can be used on the stovetop.
- Large Nonstick Frying Pan or Skillet – Use this as an alternative to a Dutch oven.
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping/Cutting Board
- Rubber/Silicone Spatula – or you could use a Wooden Slotted Spoon.
The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide US customary, imperial, and metric measurements. Still, it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions
You’ve made the main dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a perfect meal for a dinner party.
- Appetizer: Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon
- Soup: Gluten-Free French Onion Soup
- Salad: Waldorf Salad
- Side Dish: Creamy Instant Pot Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Cocktail: White Wine Sangria with Mixed Berries and Mint
- Dessert: Poached Pears with Honey Mascarpone Cream
How Do I Make White Wine Coq Au Vin?
The printable recipe card with the ingredients list and instructions can be found at the end of this post.
Number of Servings: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours
Step 1 – Season Chicken: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
Step 2 – Sear Chicken: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the chicken skin side down and cook for 10-12 minutes, occasionally turning, until all sides have browned. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
NOTE: The chicken will not be cooked through at this stage.
Step 3 – Sauté Aromatics: Add the shallot and garlic to the same pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the shallots begin to soften. Add the sausage and continue cooking until it begins to brown.
Step 4 – Deglaze Pan: Sprinkle flour into the pan. Add wine and cook for 3-4 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
When the wine mixture has reduced slightly, stir in the chicken stock.
Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it down into the broth.
Step 5 – Cook Chicken: Add the heavy cream to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer at medium heat for 45 minutes.
Step 6 – Prepare Brussels Sprouts: While the chicken is cooking, trim Brussels sprouts and cut them in half.
Heat a dry pan or skillet over medium heat and cook the Brussels sprouts until they get nicely browned but not charred.
Step 7 – Finish Dish: Ten minutes before the chicken is finished cooking, add the Brussels sprouts to the chicken.
Add lemon juice and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken has cooked. Garnish with lemon slices and a sprinkle of fresh parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
TIP! Use a meat thermometer to check your chicken is fully cooked. It should read 165ºF (75ºC).
No matter how you cook it—whether it’s grilling, baking, or frying—and the cut—be it chicken breast meat, wings, thighs, or drumsticks—the magic number for safe internal temperature is 165°F/75°C. Stay safe, and enjoy your meal!
Recipe Tips
- Use skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks for great flavor.
- Add bay leaves or fresh thyme for added depth of flavor.
- If you can’t find smoked sausage, use slices of bacon instead.
Money-Saving Tip!
Buy a whole chicken and cut it into a variety of chicken pieces (or ask your butcher to do it for you) to use in this recipe. This is more economical than buying pre-cut chicken.
You can use the chicken carcass to make Homemade Chicken Stock.
Storing Leftovers & Freezing
Like many stews, this delicious coq au vine tastes even better the next day!
- Storing Leftovers:
- Cool (within 1-2 hours), transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze in portions for a quick and easy meal next time.
- Reheat in the oven (350°F/180°C/Gas 4) or on the stove top over medium-low heat until hot throughout.
- Freezing Instructions:
- Freeze in portions for a quick and easy meal next time.
- Cool completely and transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag.
- Label with the dish’s name, thawing/reheating instructions, and the date to keep track of your food storage.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Place the container in the fridge to thaw overnight (or at least 12 hours).
- Reheat in as above until piping hot throughout.
- With all leftovers, ensure the food looks and smells okay before consuming.
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart for Cooking
- You can always consult the Food Standards Agency in your country for the most up-to-date advice on storing and freezing foods: Food Standards Agency (UK) | Food Safety (USA).
Printable White Wine Coq Au Vin Recipe Card
Below is the printable recipe card. To save ink, any demonstration photos on the recipe card are not printed out.
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White Wine Coq Au Vin with Brussels sprouts
Coq Au Vin with White Wine is a dish that's perfect for any season. With a rich white wine sauce and succulent chicken, it's a must-try recipe that will leave you craving more!
Ingredients
- 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces (thighs and legs)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ cup sliced smoked sausage
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 10 oz (300g) Brussels sprouts
- ½ cup heavy cream (double cream)
- ½ lemon, juiced
- Lemon slices, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it generously with salt and pepper.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large deep pan or Dutch oven. Add the chicken pieces skin-side down and cook for 10-12 minutes, occasionally turning, until all sides have browned. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside. NOTE: The chicken will not be cooked through.
- Add the shallot and garlic to the same pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the shallots begin to soften. Add the sausage and continue cooking until it begins to brown.
- Sprinkle flour into the pan. Add wine and cook for 3-4 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine mixture has reduced slightly, stir in the chicken broth. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it down into the broth.
- Add the heavy cream to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer at medium heat for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking, trim Brussels sprouts and cut them in half. Heat a dry pan or skillet over medium heat and cook the Brussels sprouts until they get nicely browned but not charred.
- Ten minutes before the chicken is finished cooking, add the Brussels sprouts to the chicken. Add lemon juice and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken has cooked through. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired. Enjoy!
FAQs About Coq Au Vin
Here are some questions people often ask about making this classic French dish.
Click the question to read the answer. If you have one of your own, please comment on this post.
A classic French dish where chicken is slow-cooked in wine, often with bacon, mushrooms, and onions.
It’s a perfect blend of comfort food and French elegance, offering deep flavors developed through cooking.
It’s a chicken stew where the chicken is braised in wine and often accompanied by mushrooms, bacon, and onions.
Dry white wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or dry Riesling are ideal.
A dry white wine or chicken broth can be used as a substitute.
Look for affordable bottles of Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc that have good reviews for cooking. If you enjoy drinking a particular wine, it’s a good indicator that it is good for a recipe.
Most of the alcohol cooks off, leaving behind the wine’s rich flavors without the alcohol content.
No, while both are French stews, traditional coq au vin uses chicken, and Bourguignon (boeuf bourguignon) uses beef. Try our Beef Bourguignon recipe.