The Tedious Step You Can Just Skip When Making Coq Au Vin

Coq au vin is one of those traditional French dishes everyone should try at least once, and like many of the recipes that belong to this category, it demands some pretty involved prep steps to make. Although, we aren't talking about any fancy, hard-to-master techniques. We're talking about peeling. Lots and lots of peeling.

Hearty, savory, and complex, coq au vin is all about the interplay of juicy chicken, dry wine, umami mushrooms and onions, and aromatics like rosemary and thyme. Sweet, mild pearl onions are a key part of this profile. However, round pearl onions are roughly ½ inch in diameter, making them labor-intensive and tricky to peel. This grunt work is compounded by the fact that many individual pearl onions are called for per dish. A four-person serving of a crockpot coq au vin, for example, requires 10 ounces of pearl onions — a whole lot of peeling.

Luckily, you can use frozen pearl onions to capture coq au vin's signature tender mouthfeel and depth of flavor. Not only do they come pre-peeled, but they also don't need to be sauteed before adding to the slow cooker if you're making the meal in a crockpot. Coq au vin lovers, rejoice — it might realistically be on the menu tonight after all.

Many people find that frozen, pre-peeled pearl onions cook to fork-tender perfection without compromising the flavor of fresh ones. If your local grocery store doesn't stock them in the freezer aisle, check for canned or jarred peeled pearl onions in the canned vegetable aisle. Either way, this convenience-oriented ingredient boasts a lengthy shelf life, so it'll be ready and waiting whenever the craving for coq a vin strikes.

With your pearl onion prep work simplified, you can now focus on other essential tips for a perfect coq au vin. For the best results, stick to chicken thighs or bone-in legs to prevent the meat from drying out. For extra meatiness, some preparations add lardons or pancetta into the mix, as well. We also recommend reducing the wine before making coq au vin for a deeper, more richly concentrated flavor in your sauce. Happily, leftovers of this wine-braised chicken hold up well and taste even better the next day. Pair 'em with crusty French baguette slices and herbaceous compound butter to complete the meal, plus a glass of the same red Burgundy wine you used to make the dish.