‘Coq au vin’ orzo

By: Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.

Published: 23 Jan 23
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

Coq au vin – a rich red wine stew of chicken, bacon and mushrooms – is the inspiration for this deeply satisfying orzo dish, which turns creamy as it cooks thanks to the starch of the pasta thickening the sauce.

Here’s our classic coq au vin recipe.

Serves 3-4
Hands-on time 20 min. Simmering time 30 min

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Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g skinless chicken thigh fillets, chopped
100g smoked bacon lardons or 3 rashers streaky bacon, chopped
2 onions, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
150g carrots, peeled and finely chopped
150g button mushrooms, halved
1 bouquet garni (see tips)
500ml red wine
500ml chicken stock
250g orzo
¼ bunch parsley, chopped
4 tbsp crème fraîche (optional)

Method

Pour the oil into a large saucepan over a high heat. Once hot, add the chicken with a pinch of salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes until browned all over, then lift out of the pan and set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium, add the bacon and cook for 3-5 minutes until crisp and golden. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms and cook for about 8 minutes until soft, then add the bouquet garni and pour over the red wine. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, then stir in the orzo and browned chicken and cook for 10-12 minutes. Stir regularly to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Taste to check if the pasta is cooked and season with salt and lots of black pepper. Finish with chopped parsley and serve with a dollop of créme fraîche (if you like).

Recipe from February 2023 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 605kcals
Fat: 13.6g (3.7g saturated)
Protein: 39.3g
Carbohydrates: 54.6g (9g sugars)
Fibre: 6.6g
Salt: 1g

delicious. tips

You can buy bouquet garni in supermarkets, but if you have herbs at home you can make your own by tying together a few sprigs of parsley and thyme with a bay leaf. This trio of herbs is a common flavouring in French stews.
You can make up a big batch of the coq au vin and freeze before adding the pasta. The versatile stew can then be defrosted, heated and finished off with the pasta – or simmered for another 20 minutes and served with mashed potatoes and bread (which is how it’s usually enjoyed in France).

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Or, how about...?

Cheat’s coq au vin

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More to discover