Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love. Below are links to recipes for 47 side dish ideas that are perfect accompaniments to the French classic Coq au Vin.

A skillet of coq au vin surrounded by three dishes with coq au vin and potatoes and vegetables

Coq au Vin is a flavorful, elegant dish of tender chicken simmered in a rich red wine sauce flavored with root vegetables and cooked bacon.

This is the perfect meal for a special occasion. The dish is elevated and elegant. At the same time, the timing of the dish is not precise, so you can focus on your dinner guests - rather than the cooking - when they arrive. In fact, you can even make this famous French chicken stew ahead and serve it the next day!

While it’s most often served with mashed potatoes, there are plenty of alternative accompaniments that will work best for your tastes.

In this post, you’ll find the best side dishes in every category: Potatoes/starches, Green vegetables, Salads, and Desserts.

Whether you’re looking for something light and refreshing or hearty, rich flavors, I’ve provided links to every single side dish recipe. Now you can easily plan and execute a mouthwatering menu for your next French feast!

Small yellow onions in a decorative bowl

How To Use This List

To make the list more readable, I separated it into 5 sections: Starches, Vegetables, Salads, Breads, and Desserts
Make sure you read through the whole list. You'll want to plan a balanced menu that doesn't reuse too many ingredients. Light dishes should balance out rich sides.
Use this list as inspiration. Combine ideas, flavors, ingredients, and techniques from the recipes you like.
Each recipe is formatted as the title of the recipe, followed by a "|" symbol and then the blog or person who it is from.
Let me know how it all turns out! I'd love to hear!

A bunch of whole carrots with their tops on surrounded by mushrooms and artichokes

12 Starches to Serve with Coq au Vin

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes are the indisputable champion of Coq au Vin sides. And for good reason - creamy and hearty, they hold up to the meaty textures and absorb the delicious, rich wine and herb-infused sauce. Here are my 3 favorite mashed potato recipes

Garlic Mashed Potatoes | Le Creme de la Crumb

Make these fluffy, creamy, incredibly tasty garlic mashed potatoes easy potatoes for the perfect side dish to any favorite meal.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes | Inspired Taste

We're in love with these mashed sweet potatoes! This recipe is quick, simple, super creamy, and absolutely delicious! These are on the savory side, you'll love them.

Mashed Potatoes Recipe | Pioneer Woman

These creamy mashed potatoes taste amazing! See my secrets to making the best mashed potatoes recipe. You'll love this favorite holiday dish!

Beyond Mashed Potatoes

If you want something smooth and creamy that's NOT mashed potatoes, you still have lots of options. Explore these recipes for a big visual impact and unique flavors.

Potatoes Au Gratin with Blue Cheese | Grits and Pinecones

Blue Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes are a delicious and easy to prepare side dish for any meal when you want to wow your family and friends. Try it today!

Polenta Recipe: Creamy, Fried or Grilled | Cultured Table

This polenta recipe can be served up several ways: Fried polenta, grilled polenta, or simply as a bowl of creamy polenta.

Creamy Buttery Mashed Rutabaga | Delicious Little Bites

Mashed Rutabaga is a simple recipe that makes a great alternative to mashed potatoes. With only 4 net carbs per serving, it's low in carbs and ideal for those following a keto diet.

More Texture

From crispy, roasted potatoes to chewy, thick egg noodles, each of these ideas adds its own unique texture for an elegant French dinner party.

Scalloped Potatoes | Spend with Pennies

Scalloped potatoes are a classic side dish made with tender potato slices baked in a creamy, flavorful sauce until golden and bubbly.

Wild Rice Pilaf | Foolproof Living

This Wild Rice Pilaf recipe is an easy side dish packed with veggies like mushrooms and carrots. Gluten-free, vegan, it can be made ahead.

Boiled Potatoes | A Couple Cooks

These boiled potatoes are buttery and delicious! Here's how to boil potatoes with the best creamy texture and salty, herby flavor.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes | Chelsea's Messy Apron

These roasted sweet potatoes are deliciously seasoned & cooked at the perfect temperature to ensure a crispy caramelized exterior & irresistable interior.

Homemade Egg Noodles | Gimme Some Oven

This homestyle egg noodle recipe is incredibly easy to make by hand in just 15 minutes with 4 basic ingredients. So soft and delicious!

Crispy Baked Potato Wedges | Natasha's Kitchen

Homemade Baked Potato Wedges are easy and irresistibly crispy. Learn how to make oven-baked potato wedges with the best topping.

7 Vegetables to Pair with Coq au Vin

Choosing the right vegetables to pair with Coq au Vin can be a little tricky because the dish already contains pearl onions and mushrooms. So choose vegetables that bring a totally different flavor profile compared to the main ingredients in the dish. I tend to prefer green vegetables that are simple yet flavorful, tasty, and nutritious.

Ratatouille | Love and Lemons

Learn how to make ratatouille! Filled with late summer vegetables, this recipe for the classic French stew is vibrant and flavorful.

Brussels Sprouts | Erren's Kitchen

With only 4 ingredients and some seasoning, this recipe for garlic Parmesan roasted Brussels Sprouts will really be The Best Brussels Sprouts of Your Life!

Roasted Fennel | Tasting Table

Welcome to the surprise that is roasted fennel! Baking it in a hot oven makes it sweet and caramelized: nothing like its raw flavor.

Roasted Onions (Halved, Whole, Quartered) | Alpha Foodie

Oven-roasted onions are tender, mellow, caramelized, & require no peeling! Baked as halves, whole, or quartered to serve as a versatile side!

Roasted Butternut Squash (with Garlic and Herbs) | Cooking Classy

Roasted Butternut Squash is an essential, healthy fall side dish! It has a mildly sweet, slightly nutty, buttery flavor and a delicious creamy texture.

Tomato Zucchini Tian with Herbes de Provence | Lana's Cooking

Use your fresh summer produce to make this delicious Tomato Zucchini Tian. Its simplicity is enhanced with herbs and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

French Green Beans (Haricots Verts) | Tastes Better from Scratch

Perfectly cooked French Green beans (Haricots Verts) with shallot and a hint of lemon. They make the best side dish to any meal!

How to Make Your Own Baked Kale Chips | Culinary Hill

All you'll need is two ingredients and 20 minutes.

Creamed Spinach with Water Chestnuts | Mighty Mrs

Creamed spinach was a favorite side dish of mine back when I worked at Boston Market. Now I make it homemade. Perfect holiday side dish!

Hand holding red whole beets with tops on

9 Salad Ideas

A salad presents you with an opportunity to bring cool, light, fresh, sweet and acidic flavors to balance the Coq au Vin. Go crazy!

Kilt Lettuce Appalachian Salad | The Storied Recipe

Fresh varieties of lettuce are topped with a delicious dressing of bacon fat and vinegar - watch out for the popping when the grease "kills" the lettuce!

Big Italian Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing | Once Upon a Chef

Say goodbye to boring salads! This Italian salad, packed with fresh veggies and tossed in a homemade herb dressing, is full of fresh flavor.

Beet Salad | Two Peas & Their Pod

This beautiful beet salad is made with arugula, roasted beets, orange slices, goat cheese, pistachios, red onion and a fresh citrus dressing.

How to Make Panzanella | Foodie Crush

This classic panzanella bread salad recipe is made with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and capers in a zesty vinaigrette with fresh basil.

Kale Salad | Green Healthy Cooking

Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. Here’s one way to prep it quickly and easily with this Simple Kale Salad recipe.

Harvest Fall Salad | Grandbaby Cakes

This Harvest Apple and Pear Fall Salad tossed in Apple Cider Vinaigrette is made with fresh greens, crisp Autumn fruit, smoky bacon, tangy feta and sweet-sticky cider dressing.

Greek Salad | The Clean Eating Couple

This traditional Greek Salad Recipe is super easy to make and healthy! Learn how to make the best greek salad with only a few ingredients!

Classic French Bistro Salad | The Cafe Sucre Farine

This fabulous Classic French Bistro Salad recipe, served at cafés, brasseries and bistros all over France, is beyond easy and SO delicious!

Fruit Salad | Tastes Better From Scratch

This refreshing and simple Fruit Salad recipe is made with fresh and vibrant fruits and hints of orange and mint.

Make sure to check out these other salad recipes Easy Fruit Salad by The Spruce Eats and Celery, Fennel, and Apple Salad by Food and Wine

Overhead shot of colorful tomatoes and sunflowers

6 Breads

It's hard to imagine this classic French dish without that most classic of all French culinary triumphs - BREAD!!!! Crusty, round, tender, skinny - it doesn't matter. Just don't forget the BUTTER!

Mini Bread Rolls (Soft, Adorable Dinner Rolls) | The Storied Recipe

Soft mini bread rolls are enriched with potatoes for a hearty flavor, creamy texture, and subtle sweetness. The most adorable mini dinner rolls!!

Sourdough Bread | The Clever Carrot

This easy, step-by-step beginner's guide and sourdough bread recipe will teach you how to make THE BEST, fresh homemade sourdough bread (no yeast). Baked in a Dutch oven. No-kneading required. This sourdough bread recipe is light, chewy and tangy!

Crusty No-Knead Baguettes | A Garden For The House

These crusty, no-knead baguettes are equipped with a crackling-crisp crust, a yeasty aroma, and a chewy interior.

Soft Fluffy French Bread | Eat Dessert Snack

This is my soft French bread recipe, it makes one loaf but is easily doubled. It's crusty on the outside and so soft and chewy inside.

Garlic Bread | Ambitious Kitchen

The BEST garlic bread has fresh herbs, tons of flavorful garlic, and is perfectly toasted. This garlic bread is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

Parker House Rolls | Mom on Time Out

These Parker House Rolls are soft, fluffy, buttery and incredibly delicious! They’re the perfect roll for any dinner or holiday gathering!

Hands pouring in chocolate batter into a chocolate tart shell

10 Desserts

For me, I'm not a dessert person. I put my effort into the meal. For dessert - buy a carton of ice cream, and call it a day.

However, not everyone is like me! And if you're creating an elegant French feast for guests - then dessert may be your pièce de résistance!

In choosing dessert ideas for Coq au Vin, I did lean heavily towards French favorites. Some are simple, some are gloriously complicated. You choose!

Chocolate

Chocolate Gateau (Chocolate Cake) | Just One Cookbook

Moist and rich Chocolate Gateau recipe adorned with strawberries and fresh whipped cream is a beautiful cake dessert for any festive occasion.

Silkiest Chocolate Tart | Tasty

This silky chocolate tart is a luxurious dessert that's sure to impress. The velvety smooth chocolate filling and flaky, buttery crust make each bite a decadent treat for chocolate lovers.

Kalter Hund: German No-Bake Layered Chocolate Biscuit Cake | The Storied Recipe

This layered, no-bake cake delivers chocolate as it's meant to be: completely and utterly decadent, rich, creamy, and solid but soft.

Apple Galette | Handle the Heat

Homemade Apple Galette is much easier to make than apple pie! Buttery, flaky tart crust and a perfectly spiced apple filling.

Baked Pears | Minimalist Baker

Move over apples, there’s a new baked dessert in town, and her name is pears. I must admit, I always liked the idea of baked pears more than I

Fresh Pear Pie Filling in Pistachio Pie Crust | The Storied Recipe

Pear and Pistachio Pie features a flaky crust studded with pistachios, a layer of sweet pistachio puree, and two layers of soft, melt-in-your-mouth pears - all warmly spiced with fragrant cardamom and cinnamon.

French Meringue | Style Sweet

Use this perfect French meringue recipe to create crisp-on-the-outside, chewy-in-the-middle mini pavlovas and meringue cookies.

French Crème Caramel | Mad About Macarons

A French classic dessert made with just 4 ingredients: whole milk, fresh eggs, sugar and vanilla. So easy made in advance.

Easy Crème Brûlée | Sally's Baking Addiction

You only need 6 simple ingredients to make this decadent and luscious restaurant-quality Crème Brûlée recipe at home.

Cream Puffs | A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

Don't be afraid to make Cream Puffs! These little treats are so easy to make and taste as good, if not better than store bought ones!

Baked pears with apricot vanilla sauce on a lined baking sheet

BONUS!
Wine Pairing Ideas

Experts recommend pairing it with a deep, full-bodied red wine, similar (or identical) to what you used in the sauce.
Ideas include Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Beaujolais.
Get more ideas and insight from this article from Drink and Pair.

How To Make Classic Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin is a traditional French dish made famous by Julia Child in her seminal book with co-authors Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". It translates to “rooster in wine” but is most often cooked with chicken.

To make this dish, you will need chicken (traditionally rooster). Choose dark meat like chicken thighs and drumsticks with the skin on. You will also need bacon fat (or lardon), mushrooms, pearl onions, garlic, fresh thyme and/or bay leaf, red wine (Pinot Noir is a great choice), chicken broth, flour, and butter.
Start by cooking the bacon in a large skillet or large dutch oven over medium heat until it’s crispy, then remove it from the pan and set it aside.
Brown the chicken pieces in the same pan. Take care not to overcrowd - You may need to do these in batches. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, sauté the mushrooms and onions until they’re softened, then add the garlic and thyme. Remove both with a slotted spoon.
Use wine or cognac to deglaze the pan. Scrape all the delicious caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan and whisk them into the sauce. This step is integral to creating a delicious sauce.
Sprinkle some flour over the mixture and whisk until it’s combined.
Add the wine and chicken broth, then return the chicken and bacon to the pan. Season with salt and black pepper.
Simmer the mixture for about an hour, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.