Low FODMAP Coq Au Vin
Will Low FODMAP Coq Au Vin become a new classic? We think so!
The traditional version of coq au vin is truly saturated with red-wine, and so is our rendition. What’s different is that the classic features lots of onions, often tiny pearl onions.
Listen To Julia
Way back in the 70s I made my first Coq au Vin and of course turned to Julia Child for guidance. According to Julia, French cooks will make this dish with white or red wine, though red is more common and she recommends accompanying it with parsley potatoes. Sounds perfect to me.
Julia used cognac in addition to red wine, which created a particular dark and rich end result, but I am simplifying this dish and relying on a good quantity of wine to provide flavor and color. Most coq au vin is very dark in color.
FODMAP IT!™ Low FODMAP Coq Au Vin
To create a low FODMAP version we used lots of finely chopped leek greens and scallion greens to replace the pearl onions.
Other than that – we kept to the tried and true:
- Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil, made with olive oil
- A bouquet garni (more on that later)
- BACON!
- Lots of red wine
- Low FODMAP Chicken stock
- Lots of mushrooms (more on that in a moment, too)
- Beurre mani – this is simply butter and flour kneaded together and used as a thickener at the end of cooking
Carrots sometimes make an appearance in coq au vin recipes and sometimes do not. I find their earthy sweetness is welcomed and since they contain no FODMAPs (per lab testing), I decided to include them. They also add some bulk, which is missing since we don’t have big pieces of onions.
What Is A Bouquet Garni?
Making a classic French dish and being able to create a low FODMAP version is always fun for me, and using the traditional bouquet garni was not an issue.
That’s because a bouquet garni is literally a small bundle of whole fresh herbs, that lend tons of flavor, but by being tied together they are easy to retrieve out of the finished dish before serving.
You will need butcher’s twine to tie up your bouquet garni.
Oyster Mushrooms Are Not Classic
While mushrooms are mandatory for this dish, oyster mushrooms are not the usual choice, however, since they have a generous low FODMAP serving size, they are our choice for our low FODMAP version. I think Julia would allow me this leeway since it allows us to enjoy the dish!
BIG note: You need a lot of mushrooms. To end up with a pound of trimmed oyster mushrooms you have to buy more. You have to assess the mushrooms at the store. Do they have a lot of heavy, woody stems that you will discard, or just a small amount? I’d say at least plan on 1 ½ pounds purchased at the store.
Low FODMAP Coq Au Vin
We have re-created the classic and bring you Low FODMAP Coq Au Vin, with all the flavors of the traditional version: wine, bacon, mushrooms and onion-flavor.
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 pounds (1.6 kg) of chicken thighs and legs, skin on, bone in, patted dry
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil, made with olive oil
- 3 large stems of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 stems of fresh thyme
- 1 small sprig fresh sage, maybe 3 or 4 leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 4- ounces (115 g) thick slab bacon, chopped
- 1 cup (64 g) finely chopped scallions, green parts only
- 1/2 cup (36 g) finely chopped leeks, green parts only
- 3 medium carrots, trimmed, peeled and julienned
- 1 medium celery stalk, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1- pound (455 g) trimmed oyster mushrooms, sliced
- 1, 750 ml bottle dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour
- Flat-leaf parsley, optional
Preparation:
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Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Add oil to a large Dutch oven, add a few pieces of chicken to the cold pot, skin side down, allowing space in-between the pieces, and heat over medium heat until skin is nice and crispy. Flip over and cook briefly just to sear. Remove pieces and set aside and continue with remaining chicken pieces.
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While the chicken is browning, use a piece of butcher’s twine to tie together the parsley, thyme and sage; set aside.
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Once the chicken is done and set aside, add the bacon to the pot and sauté until the fat renders and it crisps up a bit. Add the scallions, leeks, carrot and celery and sauté for a few minutes until softened, but not browned. Scrape up all the bacon and chicken bits from the bottom of the pan as you sauté. Add the mushrooms and continue sautéing until mushrooms soften and cook down by about half their volume.
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Add the bouquet garni and the bay leaf, then add the red wine and bring everything to a boil, stirring everything together well. Nestle chicken back into pot, cover with lid just askew to allow a little bit of evaporation, and adjust heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes until the chicken is tender and everything has come together well. Meanwhile use your fingertips to knead the butter and flour together to make little raisin-size balls.
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Remove the bouquet garni and bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the little butter/flour balls one by one as the mixture simmers, whisking them in well between the chicken pieces to thicken the dish. Your Low FODMAP Coq Au Vin is ready to serve with an optional garnish of parsley. Sop everything up with a crusty low FODMAP baguette.
Notes:
Tips
- As mentioned in the headnote, you can make low FODMAP Coq au Vin with white wine, which does change the dish, creating a very different, yet still incredibly delicious dish. And since white wine is low FODMAP in the same portions, feel free to make that substitution.
- Speaking of wine, this dish as presented is very wine-y. You do taste the wine, even though the dish has simmered. It would not be a great choice for kids or for those who avoid wine. Also, freshly made the wine flavor is quite pronounced. It mellows the next day and the following day, when I like the dish even more. If you would like to reduce the intensity of the wine flavor, substitute 1-cup (240 ml) of low FODMAP Chicken Stock for 1-cup (240 ml) of the wine.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
It feels like a weird time to make Coq au vin but here I am. Is it possible to make it without the bacon? As much as I’d like to, I seem to have some non-FODMAP reaction to it. Thank you!
Sure! You will lose some depth and complexity of flavor but you will still get a tasty dish. Watch your seasoning. You will most likely have to be generous with salt and pepper (the bacon brings a lot of the sodium profile).