This sluggish cooker coq au vin is a French-inspired recipe I convey out yearly when the temperatures drop! It’s a comfortable, stew dish with tender hen braised with bacon, earthy mushrooms, and herbs in a flavorful pink wine gravy.
I like a hearty bowlful of coq au vin with a facet of fluffy dinner rolls in chilly climate. It’s a simple variation of sluggish cooker hen stew that warms you proper up!
Coq au vin is the definition of consolation meals made fancy, and this sluggish cooker recipe is SO simple! Coq au vin (pronounced “kok-oh-van”) is a traditional French dish, actually translating to “rooster in wine”. However, don’t fear, we’re not placing roosters within the sluggish cooker. This recipe is created from juicy hen breasts braised in pink wine with veggies, bacon, and mushrooms to create a wealthy and flavorful stew. I make this sluggish cooker coq au vin recipe as quickly as there’s a nip within the air, together with different French favorites like beef bourguignon and hen cassoulet. One of the best half is, it principally cooks itself!
Why I Love This Coq au Vin Recipe
- Principally hands-free. I like my sluggish cooker, and I’ll take any excuse to make use of it, whether or not it’s sluggish cooking a roast or hen marsala. It’s simply really easy so as to add every part to the pot and let it prepare dinner for hours whereas I run errands.
- Cozy flavors. The hen will get braised in a shiny, flavor-filled wine sauce together with smoky bacon, mushrooms, and veggies. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs dinner you’ll crave on chilly evenings.
- Make-ahead. Not solely are you able to prep this recipe within the morning and depart it to prepare dinner all day, however the leftovers style even higher! Gradual cooker coq au vin shops nicely within the fridge or freezer and reheats simply on the stovetop.
Components You’ll Want
My coq au vin recipe packs all kinds of tasty elements into the sluggish cooker or crock pot. Under are some notes on what you’ll want. Scroll right down to the printable recipe card after the submit for a full checklist with recipe particulars.
- Bacon – Thick-cut or common bacon. You might additionally use pancetta.
- Inexperienced Onions – Not historically utilized in coq au vin, however I wish to slice up inexperienced onions for a pop of colour and further taste. You too can use shallot.
- Butter – For sautéing. Butter is common in French cooking, however you might additionally use olive oil.
- Hen – Be happy to make use of hen breasts, thighs, or drumsticks. Most bone-in or boneless hen works nicely in coq au vin. Remember that bone-in hen items will take longer to prepare dinner.
- Greens – Quartered yellow onions, sliced carrots, and mushrooms. I additionally add child pink potatoes to make this recipe a bit heartier, plus, they prepare dinner properly within the crock pot.
- Garlic – Freshly minced.
- Hen Broth – I like to make use of low-sodium hen broth. You should utilize beef broth for a deeper-flavored gravy.
- Wine – Pink Burgundy wines are the normal alternative for coq au vin, so I take advantage of a less-expensive Pinot Noir. You should utilize Chardonnay (one other Burgundy wine) for those who desire white. Many variations of coq au vin use completely different sorts of wine, although I like to recommend selecting a dry wine that you simply’d wish to drink. You’ll style the distinction!
- Thyme – Recent thyme sprigs are a should! I additionally add in bay leaves.
- Cornstarch – Elective, however for those who’d wish to thicken the wine sauce, cornstarch does the trick.
Make Gradual Cooker Coq au Vin
Right here’s easy methods to make a sluggish cooker model of this traditional French recipe!
- Sauté the elements. Crisp up the bacon in a skillet, after which use the identical skillet to sauté the inexperienced onions within the leftover bacon fats. Afterward, sear the hen with butter till it’s browned on either side.
- Assemble. Now, add the remainder of the veggies to the sluggish cooker and stir in minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Layer the hen, bacon, and inexperienced onions over prime. Pour within the hen broth and wine and add the thyme and bay leaves.
- Cook dinner. Place the lid on the sluggish cooker and prepare dinner for 4 hours on LOW.
- End and serve. Afterward, take away the hen items from the sluggish cooker and slice them up earlier than returning the sliced hen to the gravy for serving. In case you’re utilizing bone-in hen you may skip this step! In case you’d like, there’s additionally the choice to thicken the sauce (see under).
Thicken Coq au Vin
This step is non-obligatory, however in direction of the tip of the cooking time, I wish to whisk up a fast slurry and stir it again into the gravy to thicken it. After the 4 hours are up, I’ll separate about 3 spoonfuls of the cooking liquid and whisk that with cornstarch. Then, add it again into the sluggish cooker with the coq au vin. Cowl the pot and let it simmer for one more half-hour.
In case you don’t want to thicken the sauce utilizing cornstarch, you may proceed to sluggish prepare dinner the coq au vin for five hours on LOW as an alternative. It’ll thicken up with the extra cooking time.
Recipe Ideas
- Cooking occasions range. The precise cooking time will range relying on the hen you’re utilizing, whether or not it’s bone-in or boneless, and your sluggish cooker mannequin. Not all sluggish cookers prepare dinner the identical, so verify the hen towards the tip of the really helpful time. If the inner temperature reads 165ºF, it’s finished.
- Don’t splurge on costly wine. There’s no must exit and purchase a dear bottle for coq au vin. I at all times advocate selecting what you wish to drink. In case you don’t wish to use Pinot Noir, one other dry pink, like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, will do exactly superb.
- Use white wine as an alternative. In case you’d desire to make a model of sluggish cooker coq au vin with white wine, strive a dry white like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Riesling.
- Add a splash of brandy. In case you have some readily available, a shot of brandy is a good way so as to add additional complexity to the sauce.
Serving Options
In case you ask Julia Baby, coq au vin is finest served with potatoes or inexperienced salad. This recipe has potatoes already included, however I’ll generally serve it over a mattress of mashed potatoes anyway—on this home, the extra potatoes, the merrier. I additionally love this tacky potato casserole.
I at all times pair my cozy bowlful of sluggish cooker coq au vin with hunks of crusty French bread or cornbread for sopping up leftovers. It’s a filling meal as is, or this broccoli cauliflower salad additionally goes nice on the facet. And for those who’re on the lookout for extra methods to spherical out your meal, serve coq au vin over risotto or pasta.
Retailer and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Retailer leftover sluggish cooker coq au vin tightly lined within the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat. Heat your leftovers in a pot with a lid over low warmth. Reheat till the hen is sizzling all through, simply watch out to not overcook.
- Freeze. You possibly can freeze coq au vin for as much as 3 months. Thaw it in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating and serving.
Extra Gradual Cooker Recipes
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Cook dinner the bacon. In a big skillet prepare dinner the bacon to a desired crispness. Take away from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Break up the bacon into items when cool sufficient to deal with.
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Sauté the onions. Add inexperienced onions to the bacon fats and prepare dinner for 1 minute. Take away and put aside.
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Sear the hen. Add butter to the skillet. Season the hen with salt and pepper to style and add it to the pan with the bacon fats and butter. Brown the hen on either side, about 3 minutes per facet. Take away from pan and put aside.
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Assemble. Prepare carrots, onions, mushrooms, potatoes, and garlic within the backside of the sluggish cooker. Season with the remaining salt and black pepper and stir. Add the hen and skillet drippings over the greens and layer the crumbled bacon and inexperienced onions on prime.
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Add liquid and prepare dinner. Pour in hen broth and wine. Add thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Cowl and prepare dinner on LOW for 4 to five hours or till the hen is cooked via. Bone-in hen will take longer to prepare dinner.
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Thicken the sauce (non-obligatory, see word). Take away 3 tablespoons of cooking liquid from the sluggish cooker right into a mixing bowl. Whisk with cornstarch to make a slurry. Add the combination again into the sluggish cooker and stir till nicely mixed. Cowl and proceed to prepare dinner for 20 to half-hour.
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End and serve. When the cooking time is up, take away the hen and switch it to a chopping board. Chop it up or shred it, then stir the hen again into the sauce and serve.
Thickening the sauce: This step is non-obligatory in order for you a thicker gravy. In case you DO NOT wish to thicken the sauce, proceed to sluggish prepare dinner the dish for half-hour or till finished.
Serving: 12ounces | Energy: 518kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 43g | Fats: 20g | Saturated Fats: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g | Monounsaturated Fats: 8g | Trans Fats: 0.1g | Ldl cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 877mg | Potassium: 1468mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6214IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might range in response to the elements and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
