coq au vin jaune

This coq au vin jaune recipe comes to me from my father-in-law, who worked at a wine chateau in Arbois, France. Yellow wine comes from a region in France known as the Jura, and Arbois is a beautiful village with more wineries and winemakers than you could count. This recipe is a regional twist on the classic French coq au vin (or chicken in wine sauce) because it uses yellow wine from the Jura instead of white or red wine. The result is a simple yet extremely aromatic dish that is truly unique.

What is yellow wine?

Yellow wine from Arbois - vin jaune

Yellow wine (yes, yellow!) is a special type of wine that comes from the Jura region in the East of France. It’s made with Savagnin grapes (not Sauvignon, but Savagnin, a local variety), and is left to age for 6 years in oak casks, under a film of yeast that protects it from oxidation (which is why it’s called a vin de voile in French).

Interestingly, a yellow wine bottle is not 75cl like normal bottles, it’s actually a smaller bottle that holds only 62 cl, and it has a funny shape. Yellow wine should be served at room temperature and not chilled, so that it can express all of it’s complex, nutty aromas. Also, once you’ve opened a bottle you can keep it for weeks or months on end, as the wine will not go off like other wines do. Meaning that even though the price of each bottle can be quite high, you can use a bottle for cooking (and drinking) several times. Obviously yellow wine is the best wine pairing for this recipe, but you can also serve it for aperitif paired with Comte cheese (that also comes from the Jura region) and some walnuts.

Personally I love the yellow wine from Chateau Bethanie but I don’t think that there’s any ‘bad’ yellow wine out there!

Yellow wine substitutes

If you can’t get your hands on a bottle of yellow wine, then you can substitute it with an extra dry white (fino) Sherry (Xeres). Just make sure you don’t get a Cream Sherry (which is sweet!), and don’t use white wine because then the flavor will be far too bland.

How to make my coq au vin jaune recipe

  • Start by marinating the chicken in yellow wine overnight.
  • The next day, you’ll simply dry the chicken, brown it with onions and mushrooms, let it simmer for a couple of hours, and then finish with cream and yellow wine. That’s it! It’s one of those set-and-forget dishes that you can’t really overcook, and that always tastes great as leftovers.

You can also substitute the chicken with rooster, turkey, or even with fish. Simply make the sauce and then pan fry the fish before serving it with the sauce on top.

coq au vin jaune

What to serve with coq au vin jaune

This Coq au vin jaune recipe is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, fresh pasta, or rice. Personally, I like to serve it on top of white rice as I love the combination of cream and wine sauce with rice. It’s such a simple combination yet one that’s so satisfying. It’s my version of comfort food 🙂

You can also top it with some fresh, chopped parsley or a bit of fresh thyme. But the beauty of this dish comes from the simplicity of the ingredients and the complex aromas of the wine.

The cooked yellow wine chicken will keep in the fridge for 3 days (if you have any leftover, that is!)

Coq au vin jaune recipe

A unique French chicken dish featuring yellow wine from Arbois, mushrooms and cream.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Marinate12 hours
Total Time14 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Keyword: chicken, coq au vin jaune, French madeleines, yellow wine chicken
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 400kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo chicken pieces, without skin drumsticks or thighs preferably
  • 400 ml yellow wine (vin jaune) or dry Xérès Sherry
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 onions finely chopped
  • 400 ml heavy cream or creme fraiche
  • flour for dredging
  • 100 g Morilles mushrooms or Craterellus cornucopioides (horn of plenty mushrooms), or white mushrooms
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

The day before:

  • Place the chicken in a glass or metal bowl, cover it with yellow wine until it's entirely submerged (approximately 200 ml), and put it in the fridge to marinate overnight.

The day of:

  • Take the chicken out of the wine, and dry each piece with a paper towel, then lightly dredge it in flour.
  • Heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, add the vegetable oil, and brown the chicken on all sides.
  • Once the chicken is brown, remove it from the pot and set it aside. Add the onions, and cook on medium-low heat until they're nicely browned. Then add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Add the chicken back to the pot, along with the garlic, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Simmer the chicken with a bit of the leftover wine marinade so that it doesn't stick, with the lid on. You don't need to put too much marinade as the chicken will release juices as it cooks.
  • Cook for approximately two hours on low heat, or until the chicken is tender and falling apart.

10 minutes before serving:

  • Add the heavy cream, mix well, and simmer for 5 minutes. Finally, right before serving, add the remaining yellow wine. Make sure NOT to let it boil, simply cook it until it's heated through. Not cooking the yellow wine allows it to fully retain its complex flavors which will perfume the dish.
  • Serve with rice, potatoes, or fresh tagliatelle.

Notes

Calorie count is approximate.

Francais

Vous connaissez surement le coq au vin, recette phare de la gastronomie française, mais connaissez-vous le coq au vin jaune ? Il s’agit d’une recette traditionnelle du Jura, ou on remplace le vin blanc ou rouge avec du vin jaune.

Le plat est simple mais avec un goût de vin jaune assez intense et complex, agrémenté par des morilles ou des trompettes de la mort. Servez le coq au vin jaune avec du riz blanc, des tagliatelles ou des pommes de terres, accompagné bien sur avec un verre de vin jaune (servit a temperature ambiante, je vous en supplie !)

Cette recette c’est la recette de mon beau-père, qu’il nous prépare depuis presque 15 ans. Il a appris à la faire quand il travaillait à la fruitière vinicole d’Arbois, donc difficile de faire plus authentique ou local !

Notre recette familiale de coq au vin jaune

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo de poulet, sans la peau (des haut de cuisses ou de pillons de preference)
  • 400 ml de vin jaune ou de Xérès blanc et sec si vous en trouvez pas
  • 2 gousses d’ail emincees
  • 3 oignons emincees
  • 400 ml creme liquide
  • un peu de farine
  • 100 g de Morilles, de trompettes de la mort, ou des champignons de Paris si vous en trouvez pas
  • sel et poivre
  • 3 cas d’huile vegetale (tournesol)

Procedure

La veille :

  • Mettez le poulet dans un grand bol et couvrez avec du vin jaune (environ 200 ml), puis mettez le tout au frigo pour mariner toute la nuit.

Le jour meme :

  • Sortez le poulet du vin, et séchez chaque morceau avec de l’essuie tout. Ensuite fariner chaque morceau de poulet légèrement.
  • Faites chauffer une cocotte, rajouter l’huile, et ensuite faites dorer le poulet sur chaque côté.
  • Une fois le poulet doré, sortez-le de la cocotte et mettez-le de côté. Ajouter les oignons dans la cocotte, et faites legerement carameliser. Ensuite rajoutez les champignons et faites cuire quelques minutes de plus.
  • Mettez le poulet dans la cocotte, ainsi que l’ail, et assaisonnez avec du sel et poivre.
  • Faites cuire à feu doux avec un petit peu de la marinade au vin jaune, avec le couvercle fermé. Vous n’avez pas besoin de mettre beaucoup de marinade car le poulet va libérer du jus pendant la cuisson.
  • Laisser mijoter pour environ 2 heures sur feu doux, ou jusqu’à ce que le poulet soit fondant.

10 minutes avant de servir :

  • Ajoutez la creme liquide, melangez bien, et laisser mijoter doucement pendant 5 minutes. Ensuite, juste avant de servir, ajouter le vin jaune et vérifiez que ca ne bou pas ! Faites simplement chauffer doucement et puis servez aussitôt.

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