This Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin is an elegant, flavorful weeknight meal made easy in your slow cooker!
Today marks a first at The Beach House Kitchen: a comforting slow cooker recipe. This Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin brings the classic French flavors of braised chicken and red wine to your weeknight table with minimal hands-on time.
What is Coq Au Vin?
Coq Au Vin is a traditional French dish of chicken slowly braised in red wine with bacon, carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms. The long, gentle cooking produces a deeply flavored sauce and tender, falling-off-the-bone meat. I like serving it over creamy mashed potatoes and spooning a generous amount of the sauce on top for a truly satisfying meal.
This version is rich with wine, smoky bacon, onions, mushrooms and garlic. It’s hearty and comforting—ideal for chilly evenings. While there are a few steps, the process is straightforward and the results are worth it.
Begin by ensuring your slow cooker is large enough to hold the chicken. Cook the bacon in a skillet until just crisp, then brown the seasoned chicken in the same skillet to develop color and flavor. Sauté the mushrooms, then add onions, carrots and garlic until the vegetables begin to soften. Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker, add chicken broth, nestle the chicken and bacon on top, pour in the wine, and add thyme and pearl onions.
Cover and cook on low for about five and a half hours. For a glossy, thicker sauce, whisk 1–2 tablespoons cornstarch with an equal amount of water until smooth, then stir it into the sauce. If you prefer, remove the chicken before thickening the sauce and return it afterward. Cook on high for another hour so the sauce becomes rich and the chicken finishes tender and flavorful.
The final dish is wonderfully aromatic, with a balanced depth from the wine and a pleasant smokiness from the bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately—mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles are excellent accompaniments.
Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin
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Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon
- 4 whole chicken legs, thigh and drumstick
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 8 oz. carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 3/4 cup Pinot Noir
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 cups white pearl onions, frozen
- 1-2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Instructions
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Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet.
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Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken in the reserved skillet, about 3–4 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate.
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Add butter and mushrooms to the skillet and cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped onion, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.
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Transfer the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker and add the chicken broth. Nestle the chicken and any juices from the plate and the cooked bacon on top of the vegetables. Pour in the wine, add the thyme sprigs and pearl onions. Cover and cook on low for 5½ hours.
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For a thicker sauce, whisk 1–2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1–2 tablespoons water until smooth and lump-free. Optionally remove the chicken to a plate, stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce, then return the chicken. Cook on high for 1 hour to thicken the sauce and finish the chicken.
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Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately over mashed potatoes or your preferred side.