Coq au Vin, chicken slow simmered in a wine sauce, is a classic French one pot stew that is deliciously flavorful and easy to prepare.
Coq Au Vin is a delicious French stew of chicken simmered in a wine sauce with huge flavor from wine, vegetables, seasonings, a bit of brandy and bacon!
I enjoyed Coq Au Vin several years ago in a local French restaurant. After my first bite, I thought that this delicious and comforting meal was something I wanted to make at home for my Gr8 Friends!
So, it seemed like the perfect main dish for our Gr8 Autumn themed dinner.
When planning the menu I really wanted to make an easy main dish that could be prepared ahead of time. I wanted to make a pot of comfort!
This one pot meal was the perfect selection. And, oh yum, the chicken was so tasty and literally fell off the bone!
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Also, this is a great recipe for the slow cooker (see instructions below).
Add your favorite side of potatoes or noodles. Or just grab a big piece of crusty bread to absorb every last drop of the succulent broth.
If you want to include a salad, Great8Friends has many to choose from! Enjoy!
And....did I mention that leftovers (if you have any) are oh so yummo!
Coq au Vin, Chicken in Wine
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick bacon, stack the slices on top of each other and cut crossways into ¼" pieces
- 4 pounds chicken pieces, with skin and bones, I usually use legs and thighs
- 1 - 2 Tablespoons olive oil, (only if needed)
- 1 large yellow onion, cut in half and sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
- 3 stalks celery, cut into 1" pieces
- 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup brandy
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 small piece of kitchen twine
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups red wine
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock , or chicken broth
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
- ½ pound crimini mushrooms, or button mushrooms
- 8 ounces frozen pearl onions, thawed
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
- 1 ½ Tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300℉.
- Add the bacon to an extra large ovenproof dutch oven or pan (that has a lid-you'll need it later) and cook over medium heat until the bacon pieces are light brown.
- Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
- After patting the chicken with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture, liberally salt and pepper both sides of each piece of chicken.
- Only if needed, add 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil to brown the chicken. You can start with the bacon grease in the pan and add olive oil in if necessary.
- In two to three batches, brown each side of each piece of chicken in the bacon fat (about 2 ½ minutes per side). As the chicken is browned, remove it from the pan and set aside on the plate with the bacon.
- Add the onions, carrots, celery and herbes de Provence to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes (until the onions are translucent).
- Add the chopped garlic and the tomato paste and, while stirring, cook for another minute.
- Add to the pot of vegetables the brandy, cooked bacon, chicken and any juices on the plate.
- Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen twine.
- Add the thyme and rosemary bundle, bay leaves, wine and chicken stock to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Once the stew starts to simmer, turn the flame off and cover the pot with the lid and place the pot in the oven for 45 minutes.
- While the stew is cooking, mix the flour with 1 ½ Tablespoons butter together with a fork and set aside.
- Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat in a small sauté pan and cook the mushrooms for about 10 minutes until you start to see them brown. (This step can also be done while the stew is in the oven. Once the mushrooms are done, just set aside.)
- Remove the stew from the oven and set on the stove. Add the flour/butter mixture and stir in. This will thicken the stew just a bit.
- Add the sautéd mushrooms and pearl onions and bring the stew to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the thyme/rosemary bundle and bay leaves and garnish with the chopped parsley. Serve hot.
- Enjoy!
Instructions for Slow Cooker
- Add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the bacon pieces are light brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- After patting the chicken with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture, liberally salt and pepper both sides of each piece of chicken.
- Only if needed, add 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil to brown the chicken. You can start with the bacon grease in the pan and add olive oil in if necessary.
- In two to three batches, brown each side of each piece of chicken in the bacon fat (about 2 ½ minutes per side). As the chicken is browned, remove it from the pan and set aside on the plate with the bacon.
- To the skillet add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, tomato paste and herbes de Provence and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add this mixture to the slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker now add the brandy, bay leaves, wine, chicken stock, cooked bacon and chicken (with any juices on the plate).
- Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen twine and add to the slow cooker.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for about 5 hours.
- Mix the flour with 1 ½ Tablespoons butter together with a fork. Add the flour/butter mixture to the slow cooker and stir in. This will thicken the stew just a bit.
- Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat in a small sauté pan and cook the mushrooms for about 10 minutes until you start to see them brown. (This step can also be done while the stew is cooking. Once the mushrooms are done, just set aside.)
- Add the mushrooms and the pearl onions to the slow cooker and cook for ½ hour longer. Remove the herb bundle and serve! Enjoy!
Notes
Gr8 Make Ahead Tip:
- The Coq Au Vin can be made up to 1-2 days ahead of time. Prepare through step 14 and cool before covering with the lid and refrigerate. When ready to serve, heat over medium heat. Once the stew comes to a simmer continue with step number 16.
- I sauté the mushrooms while the stew is in the oven. If making ahead of time, sauté the mushrooms while the stew is warming up on the stove.
Gr8 Tip:
- This same recipe can be made with red wine, white wine or a combo of red and white! Why not?!
Kyle
Hi Joe, What a gr8 question! This would be a perfect recipe to prepare in the slow cooker. We have added those instructions to the recipe card. There are still a few steps to complete ahead of time but honestly you could also try to just add all ingredients to the slow cooker after browning the bacon and chicken, let it cook and pick up again at the step where you add the butter/flour mixture. Thank you for asking! Let us know how it turns out. Happy Cooking!
Joe
How would you make this recipe for cooking with a slow cooker?