Coq au vin

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallySulphitesBraised in red wine, often Burgundy, and sometimes flamed with brandy.
• UsuallyGlutenFlour dusted on the chicken or stirred in to thicken the sauce.
• OftenMilkButter for browning and finishing; cream in white-wine versions.
• SometimesCelerySome recipes add celery to the aromatics or use a stock with celery.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Not halal or kosher: pork lardons and wine. Braising doesn't remove all the alcohol.
• Not gluten-free as standard: flour in the sauce, and often bread or croutons.
• Some traditional recipes thicken the sauce with the bird's blood.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is coq au vin?

Coq au vin is chicken braised slowly in red wine with bacon, mushrooms and small onions until the meat is tender and the sauce is dark and glossy. The name means "rooster in wine": the dish was a way to make a tough old bird edible. Today it's nearly always made with chicken, and it's a fixture of French bistro menus.

What's in it

• Chicken: jointed pieces, browned first. Traditionally a rooster (coq), now usually a free-range chicken.
• Wine: red, classically Burgundy, often a whole bottle. Many recipes marinate the chicken in it overnight.
• Lardons: strips of smoked or salted pork belly.
• Garnish: button mushrooms and pearl onions, browned in butter.
• Aromatics: garlic, thyme, bay, carrot and onion; sometimes brandy, flamed.
• Thickener: flour, either dusted on the meat or worked into butter.

Regional versions swap the wine. Coq au Riesling (Alsace) uses white wine and cream; coq au vin jaune (Jura) uses the region's yellow wine, usually with cream and morels.

Allergens and diets

Assume sulphites and gluten. Wine is the braising liquid, and the sauce is reduced, not boiled away, so it keeps much of what the wine brought. Flour is the standard thickener, either dusted on the chicken before browning or kneaded into butter and whisked in at the end.

Milk is common because the mushrooms and onions are usually browned in butter and the sauce is often finished with a knob of it. White-wine versions add cream. Celery isn't in the classic list, but some cooks add it with the carrot and onion, or use a stock that contains it.

Coq au vin isn't halal or kosher: there's pork in the lardons, and cooking doesn't remove all the alcohol. A few traditional cooks still thicken the sauce with the chicken's blood, which matters to anyone who avoids blood for religious reasons.

On the menu

Look for coq au vin or coq au vin de Bourgogne among the plats (main courses). À l'ancienne means "the old-fashioned way". It usually comes with boiled or mashed potatoes, buttered fresh pasta, or croutons, each with its own allergens.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.