🇫🇷 French
Coq au Vin
⏱ 90 min
🍞 ~12g (kid-default portion, no potatoes)
🍽 6 servings
⭐ 4/5
⚠️ Estimates only — not medical advice. Carb counts vary by brand and portion. Always verify with your endo or CDCES.
🌍 Cultural note
Coq au vin is grandmère food — Burgundian farm cooking that used tough old roosters, red wine from the cellar, and whatever was in the larder. The alcohol cooks off completely (kid-safe), leaving deep, savory flavor. This is the dish that taught me French cooking isn't intimidating — it's just chicken in really good sauce.
Why this recipe is T1D-friendly
- Chicken thighs + bacon + mushrooms = pure protein and fat, near-zero carb base
- Red wine cooks down for flavor but contributes minimal carbs per serving (~2g)
- Pearl onions add sweetness without spiking — small portions, slow-cooked
- The traditional carb pairing (mashed potato or noodles) is the only thing to portion-control
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (~0g)
- 6 oz bacon, diced (~0g)
- 1 cup dry red wine like Pinot Noir or Burgundy (~10g total, ~2g per serving)
- 2 cups chicken broth (~0g)
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered (~16g total, ~3g per serving)
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed (~14g total, ~2g per serving)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (~10g, ~2g per serving)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (~3g, negligible)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (~6g, ~1g per serving)
- 2 tbsp butter (0g)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried) (0g)
- 2 bay leaves (0g)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (0g)
- Salt + black pepper to taste (0g)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch for thickening (~7g total, ~1g per serving)
Bread / potato / base options
This is where carb math matters. The chicken + sauce alone is ~12g per serving. Add your base on top:
- Cauliflower mash (default, +4g = 16g total): 1/2 cup buttery cauli mash. T1D MVP.
- Mashed potato kid portion (+15g = 27g total): 1/3 cup mashed potato.
- Buttered egg noodles kid portion (+22g = 34g total): 1/2 cup cooked noodles — traditional, but biggest carb hit.
- Roasted turnip or celery root mash (+6g = 18g total): French country alternative, sweeter.
Directions
- Mise en place — dice bacon, quarter mushrooms, mince garlic, measure wine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy, 6-8 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon, leave fat in pot.
- Sear chicken thighs skin-side down in bacon fat, 5-6 minutes per side, until golden. Work in batches if needed. Remove and set aside.
- Add diced onion to pot, cook 4 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds.
- Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute (this deepens flavor — don't skip).
- Pour in red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Let it bubble 2 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, thyme, bay leaves. Return chicken and bacon to pot. Bring to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer on low 35-40 minutes, until chicken is tender and pulls easily from the bone.
- Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter and sauté mushrooms 5-6 minutes until golden. Add pearl onions, cook 3 more minutes.
- Add mushroom and pearl onion mixture to the pot for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Remove chicken, set aside. Whisk arrowroot with 2 tbsp cold water, stir into sauce. Simmer 2-3 minutes until sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Return chicken to pot, stir in remaining 1 tbsp butter for shine. Top with parsley. Remove bay leaves before serving.
Dash's kid tips 🐆
- Dash says: "The alcohol cooks off completely after 30 minutes — kid-safe and the flavor is what makes this magical."
- Pull the chicken off the bone before serving for younger kids — easier to eat, no surprises.
- The bacon is the gateway flavor for picky kids. Tell them it's "fancy chicken with bacon sauce."
- Leftovers are better the next day — the sauce thickens and flavors deepen. Lock in your carb count and reheat.