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Nothing says the holiday season quite like a big bottle of bubbly. Inspired by the classic rustic French dish, Coq au Champagne is a cozy and crowd-friendly chicken dish made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs that are nestled in a light and creamy sauce.
Coq au Champagne is a lighter, more elegant spin on traditional Coq au Vin. Instead of red wine, the chicken is simmered in Champagne (or sparkling wine), which creates a sauce that’s brighter, more delicate, and a little celebratory. It’s absolutely perfect for a New Year’s Eve dinner or holiday dinner party. Once it comes out of the oven, I stir in some heavy cream and Dijon mustard, giving the sauce a silky, luxurious texture that feels special without being heavy. If it sounds a little fussy and fancy, don’t be fooled. Everything comes together in one skillet, and it only requires about 30 minutes of hands-on prep work and cooking; the rest of the cooking happens in the oven so you can get back to celebrating with your loved ones!
I highly recommend serving the chicken and veggies over some creamy mashed potatoes and/or with a side of warm, crusty bread to help sop up the delicious sauce. Trust me, you don’t want any of it to go to waste!
ingredients:
- Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Diced Pancetta
- Carrots
- Shallots
- Garlic Cloves
- Cremini Mushrooms
- All-Purpose Flour
- Champagne
- Fresh Thyme Sprigs
- Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
- Kitchen Twine
- Bay Leaf
- Heavy Cream
- Dijon Mustard
- Fresh Parsley
step-by-step:
step one: pat the chicken thighs dry (optional)
Pat the chicken thighs dry and place on a sheet pan, uncovered. Refrigerate to allow the skin to dry out for 1 to 4 hours. This isn’t necessary, but it does lend to a crispier skin.
step two: preheat the oven and season the chicken
Position the rack to the top and preheat the oven to 375℉. Pat the chicken dry (if you didn’t do this already) and season all over with salt and pepper.
step three: cook the pancetta
Heat a large, oven-safe skillet (preferably a 3.5 quart-braiser) over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, until it’s cooked through and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan.
step four: sear the chicken
Increase the heat to medium-high and, working in batches, arrange the chicken thighs, skin side down, in a single layer and cook until a golden-brown crust forms, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
step five: add the vegetables
Reduce the heat to medium, add the carrots and shallots, and continue to cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring, being careful not to burn the garlic, until the mushrooms begin to soften, another 3 minutes.
step six: sprinkle in the flour
Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until it is well combined and begins to toast, 1 to 2 minutes.
step seven: stir in the champagne
While stirring, slowly pour in 1 cup of Champagne until it is well incorporated, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Slowly stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of Champagne. Add a small pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, 3 to 4 minutes.
step eight: add the remaining ingredients
Add the cooked pancetta back to the sauce. Using kitchen twine, tie the thyme and rosemary sprigs into an herb bouquet and toss into the sauce along with the bay leaf. Nestle the chicken, skin side up, into the sauce.
step nine: transfer to the oven and bake
Transfer to the oven on the top rack and bake, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, and the skin is golden brown, about 45 minutes.
step ten: make it creamy
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate and stir in the heavy cream and mustard until well combined. Return the chicken to the pot and nestle into the sauce.
step eleven: garnish and serve
Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve over mashed potatoes and/or with crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Enjoy!
recipe faqs:
Any type of sparkling wine will work! Feel free to try this with cremant, prosecco, or cava, if needed.
I love bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because they’re so easy to cook and don’t dry out. That said, you can definitely try this recipe with skin-on chicken breasts; you’ll probably need to reduce the cook time a bit since they tend to cook more quickly than bone-in thighs.
Thick-cut bacon will work well, too! Just be sure to dice it into about 1/2-inch pieces.
Yes! Just swap the all-purpose flour with your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour.
I hope y’all make this Coq au Champagne a part of your holiday gatherings this year. Comment below and let me know what you think!
looking for more holiday mains? try these!
Thyme Crusted Beef Tenderloin Au Poivre
Bottle of Wine Braised Brisket
Coq Au Champagne
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in, skin on chicken thighs (6 to 8 thighs)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces diced pancetta
- 1/2 cup small-diced carrots
- 4 medium shallots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups Champagne, divided
- 6-8 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 fresh rosemary sprigs
- kitchen twine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Optional: Pat the chicken thighs dry and place on a sheet pan, uncovered. Refrigerate to allow the skin to dry out for 1 to 4 hours. This isn’t necessary, but it does lend to a crispier skin.
- Position the rack to the top and preheat the oven to 375℉. Pat the chicken dry (if you didn't do this already) and season all over with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large, oven-safe skillet (preferably a 3.5 quart-braiser) over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, until it's cooked through and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and, working in batches, arrange the chicken thighs, skin side down, in a single layer and cook until a golden-brown crust forms, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the carrots and shallots, and continue to cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring, being careful not to burn the garlic, until the mushrooms begin to soften, another 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until it is well combined and begins to toast, 1 to 2 minutes.
- While stirring, slowly pour in 1 cup of Champagne until it is well incorporated, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Slowly stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of Champagne. Add a small pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the cooked pancetta back to the sauce. Using kitchen twine, tie the thyme and rosemary sprigs into an herb bouquet and toss into the sauce along with the bay leaf. Nestle the chicken, skin side up, into the sauce.
- Transfer to the oven on the top rack and bake, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, and the skin is golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate and stir in the heavy cream and mustard until well combined. Return the chicken to the pot and nestle into the sauce.
- Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve over mashed potatoes and/or with crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Food Photography and Styling by Eat Love Eats.
This really is coq au vin’s posher and more refined cousin with tons of fun flavor! I made this 100% as written, no tinkering, and it was perfect. And the flavors . . . bright and amazing. Thank you!
Absolutely delicious-tastes like something you would order at a fine restaurant. I sub’d chicken breasts for thighs and only cooked 30min. Huge hit! Flavor out of the park! Thank you, Alex, for yet another winner!
Thank you so much for the lovely review!