If you have never made Coq au Vin before, please don’t let the fancy French name put you off. This is a lovely, hearty chicken and red wine stew that is perfectly suited to the slow cooker.
It has those lovely rustic, rich flavours that make your home smell amazing as it cooks away. Perfect for a comforting weekend meal or something a little special when you have guests. As always, I’ve focused on flavour, texture and making the recipe as easy as possible.
Table of contents
Ingredients & Substitutions
A few things to note about the ingredients I’ve chosen and why I use them.
Bone-in Chicken Thighs – I chose bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe as they stand up well to the longer cooking time and add plenty of flavour and richness. I tested boneless thighs and chicken breasts too, but preferred the result with bone-in thighs. Boneless thighs can also be used.
Red Wine – Red wine is the base of a traditional Coq au Vin sauce, giving it that lovely richness. Choose a dry red wine you enjoy drinking, such as Merlot or Pinot Noir.
Fresh Thyme – I tested several herb combinations and found it was easy to make the dish too earthy. Fresh thyme gave me the balance I wanted, without the overpowering flavour of rosemary. Dried thyme can also be used, although I prefer fresh.
Beef Stock – Just a little beef stock adds richness alongside the wine. You don’t need much extra liquid in the slow cooker, as the chicken and vegetables release their own juices during cooking.
My Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Coq au Vin
So much of the flavour for this recipe is built right at the start. While it can be tempting to simply throw everything into the slow cooker and turn it on, taking a little time to build flavour first makes such a difference. It’s one of the best ways to avoid that dreaded complaint that all slow cooker meals taste the same!
Searing the Chicken Thighs
I tested this recipe with and without searing the chicken, and it made a huge difference. I cook the bacon first, then sear the chicken thighs in the leftover bacon fat. Cooking the onion, garlic and tomato paste in the same pan adds even more flavour.
And don’t forget to scrape up all that goodness from the bottom of the pan when you add the wine. That’s where so much of the flavour is!
Longer Cooking Time
Coq au Vin cooks longer than my other slow cooker chicken dishes, and the reason for this is not the chicken, but the sauce. It needs that extra time to develop all those lovely rich flavours. A really good Coq au Vin is all about the sauce!
Add the Mushrooms Later
I add the mushrooms for the final two hours of cooking. I still want all their lovely flavour in the sauce, but prefer that they keep their shape in the finished dish.
How to Make Slow Cooker Coq au Vin
First, fry off the bacon, then sear the bone-in chicken thighs in the leftover bacon fat. This gives a great flavour to the dish. Add the chicken to a large slow cooker while you sauté the onions, garlic, tomato paste and flour to build the base.
Next, add the red wine to the pan to deglaze it and slightly reduce the wine, then the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce go in to finish the initial stages.
Then pour this over the chicken, and add the cooked bacon, ensuring you scrape up all the bits stuck to the bottom and sides of the pan. The fresh thyme stems and bay leaf are added here too.
This is then slow cooked on LOW for 4 hours, before adding the mushrooms and cooking for a further 2 hours to develop the sauce.
Once the cooking time is completed, use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken, bacon and mushrooms, then transfer the sauce to a saucepan and simmer until slightly reduced. This gives a thicker, more concentrated sauce.
Adding the butter here gives the sauce a lovely silky finish, while the red wine vinegar brightens it. I also add a little brown sugar to balance the flavours. And of course, always taste and add salt at the end if needed.
I remove the bones from the chicken before serving, but you can leave these in if you prefer. Finally, pour the finished sauce back over the chicken thighs and serve warm.
Serving and Storing
I love serving this Coq au Vin with its lovely rich sauce over creamy mashed potato with some simple green vegetables.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently until piping hot throughout, adding a splash of water if the sauce needs loosening.
My Recipe for Slow Cooker Coq au Vin
Slow Cooker Coq au Vin
A lovely, rich French chicken and red wine stew, slow cooked with bacon, mushrooms and fresh thyme for a flavourful, comforting meal.
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 200 g (7 oz) streaky bacon, diced
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) plain flour
- 1 cup (250 ml / 8.5 fl oz) dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Merlot
- ⅓ cup (80 ml / 2.7 fl oz) beef stock
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 300 g (10.6 oz) mushrooms, halved or quartered
To Finish
- 2 tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz) butter
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Salt, to taste
To Serve
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Creamy mashed potato
- Seasonal green vegetables
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until golden and starting to crisp.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
- Add the chicken to the same pan and brown for 2–3 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Transfer to a large slow cooker.
- Add the onion to the pan and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly. Sprinkle over the flour and stir well, cooking for a further 1–2 minutes to form a thick paste.
- Gradually pour in the red wine, stirring and scraping the base of the pan to lift all the flavour. Simmer for 3–5 minutes, then stir in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker. Add the cooked bacon, thyme and bay leaf, and gently stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
- Add the mushrooms, gently stir, then cover and continue cooking on LOW for a further 2 hours, until the chicken is very tender.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the chicken, bacon and mushrooms to a plate. Remove and discard the chicken bones, bay leaf and thyme stalks.
- Pour the remaining sauce into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and thickened.
- Stir in the butter until melted, then add the brown sugar and red wine vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed.
- Return the chicken, bacon and mushrooms to the saucepan and gently turn to coat in the sauce.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve over creamy mashed potato with seasonal green vegetables.
- Allow leftovers to cool for no more than 30 minutes, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat gently until piping hot throughout, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen the sauce
Notes
Chicken: I prefer bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for the extra flavour they add during cooking. Boneless thighs can also be used, although the cooking time may need adjusting.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 924Total Fat: 59gSaturated Fat: 20gUnsaturated Fat: 39gCholesterol: 386mgSodium: 1957mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 79g
This nutrition calculation for Just Slow Cooker Recipes has been automated, please use your discretion with the calculation and use your own if unsure.
More Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like these delicious slow cooker dinners.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
I hope you enjoy this one. It was certainly worth all the testing to get it just right!
Happy Cooking!
Anna xox
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