I love to cozy up with a good Slow Cooker Coq au Vin during winter. It's a classic comfort meal. The traditional style coq au vin is more popular, but it is not right up my alley. I made it countless times at my cooking school, following its details to a tee like every other cooking school does. It's the obligatory recipe for any French cooking class. Sure, it's a good dish, but everyone is doing it. I decided to give the traditional recipe a little twist with crisp white wine rather than its usual red. The result? Deliciously sultry, soul-satisfying chicken. Oh, it is so damn good. Let's make the recipe together! You will be amazed at the depth and character of a coq au vin blanc!
This Recipe is:
Table of Contents
6 Reasons to Love This Recipe
I love this slow cooker coq au vin recipe because it has more character and depth of flavor than the traditional version. Other reasons why I have made it countless times include:
- The French dish has divine flavors!
- A true winter-warming dish.
- Perfect French food for a weeknight meal or a weekend gathering.
- Low-carb, but people will only comment on the delicious flavors.
- A stand-out recipe for chicken!
- Kids love it.
Is Coq au Vin Low-Carb?
Yes, while the classic coq au vin French recipe uses red wine which contains carbohydrates, some recipes use dry red wine with fewer residual sugars or less wine to make the dish low-carb-friendly.
This recipe is low-carb with 6 g net carbs per serving. The carb load is incredibly low, given that the coq au vin is a complete meal in a bowl! You can enjoy it without worrying about exceeding your daily carb allowance.
Coq au Vin Ingredients List
My coq au vin recipe requires the following ingredients:
- 10 ounces crimini or baby Bella mushrooms, quartered
- 4 strips of thick cut bacon
- 1 whole chicken, quartered and seasoned liberally with kosher salt and pepper
- 5 cloves garlic, diced finely
- 1 onion, sliced (Spanish onion)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- ½ cup leeks, sliced (approximately 1 small leek)
- ½ cup white wine (I use an unoaked French Chardonnay)
- ½ cup beef stock
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot or corn starch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Ingredients Substitutions
Replace the ingredients with these easily accessible swaps:
- Bacon: We need the rendered fat from the bacon, therefore add about 2-3 tablespoons of duck fat, lard, ghee or clarified butter to replace the bacon fat.
- Olive oil: Use coconut oil or MCT.
- Spanish onion: Replace with 1½ white or yellow onions.
- Leeks: Add the same amount of cored and diced fennel.
- Baby bella or crimini mushrooms: Swap with white button mushrooms, or portobello mushrooms without the gills (remove the underside of the mushroom cap). I don't love the texture of shiitake, oyster, hen-of-the-woods or other specialty type of fresh mushrooms with this recipe.
- Garlic: Use 10 cloves of roasted garlic or 2 teaspoons of granulated garlic.
- White wine: Try ¼ cup of dry vermouth, ½ cup of chicken stock or ½ cup of water with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with the stock or water.
- Red pepper flakes: Omit the pepper flakes if you don't care for heat in your food.
- Fresh rosemary: Use ½ teaspoon of dried rosemary.
- Arrowroot: Use cornstarch or xanthan gum. 1 teaspoon of arrowroot between 6 servings is very little additional carb load even for anyone on a strict low-carb diet.
Additional Ingredients
Adding any of these optional ingredients will jazz up the coq au vin's divine chicken flavors:
- Fresh herbs: Add some freshly chopped parsley, a bay leaf, chives, or fresh thyme sprigs to the cooked chicken in wine for an aromatic and herbaceous twist.
- Veggies: Transform the coq au vin recipe into a stew by adding more fresh vegetables like carrots, celery or bell peppers.
- Citrus: Before serving, brighten the dish with a quick squeeze of lemon or a light dusting of lemon zest.
Note: The additional ingredients are optional and not part of the original recipe. Use them only to enhance the coq au vin's flavors.
Cooking Tools
To make the slow cooker coq au vin blanc, you need the following tools:
- Crockpot/slow cooker
- Heavy-bottomed pan
- A wide sauté pan
- Tongs or spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- A knife
- Cutting board
- A small bowl
- A strainer
How To Cook Coq au Vin in a Slow Cooker: Complete Cooking Guide
Cooking Method
- Slow cooking
Preparation Steps
- Gather the tools and ingredients.
- Optionally wash and dry, and quarter the chicken.
- Peel and slice the onion and leeks.
- Peel and dice the garlic cloves finely.
- Wash and quarter the mushrooms.
- Cut the bacon slices into thick pieces.
Cooking Instructions
Getting Ready for the Slow Cooker
- Using a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon when the oil is hot and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon, leaving the rendered fat in the pan, and set aside.
- Increase the heat to high. Add the raw chicken pieces in batches, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes. Check for browning. If it looks nicely browned, flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the pan from the heat when the chicken is browned to a golden color. Use tongs to transfer chicken pieces to the bottom of the slow cooker, skin side down.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high and return the pan to the heat with the fat still in the pan. Add the onions with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir, and as the onion releases water, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. When cooked, use tongs to remove the onions from the pan, keeping as much fat in the pan as possible. Add the onions over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the leeks with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring well. Add olive oil if they look dry. Add them to the slow cooker when they brown slightly.
- The pan should look fairly dry now. This is good. Add the mushrooms and NO salt. Cook them until they start to release some water, about 3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, some olive oil, and the garlic. Cook, stirring consistently, until fragrant (approximately 4 minutes or so). Add the white wine and reduce for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the slow cooker crock pot.
- Add the beef stock, red pepper flakes, and kosher salt to the chicken. Roughly dice the cooked bacon and add to the slow cooker. Cook for 3 hours at the high setting on your slow cooker.
Finishing the Coq au Vin
- Make a slurry with the water and arrowroot in a small bowl before removing the chicken from the slow cooker crock pot. Set aside.
- When the chicken is ready, remove the quarters and set aside, covered with foil.
- Using a strainer, strain out the solids. Set aside.
- Add the strained braising liquid to a wide sauté pan. Cook over high heat, reducing to approximately 2 cups. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the slurry, stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken nicely. If it is still too thin, make some more slurry and add sparingly!
- Add the mushrooms and onions as a base player on a large platter. Cover with chicken and coat everything with the crazy good gravy.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Step 1: The first step is to get your chicken a perfectly browned skin. There’s a lot of flavor here.
Step 2: Saute the onions and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as they release their water. So good.
Step 3: After the mushrooms have taken on some color, add in the white wine and reduce.
Step 4: Everything in the slow cooker is ready to go. The aroma is so fantastic!
💡 My Pro Tips
- Heavy-bottomed pan: Use a heavy-bottomed pan to brown the chicken. Ensure you get the pan and the cooking fat (whether you use oil, bacon fat, or ghee) super hot before adding the chicken. We want a beautiful brown chicken skin.
- Crowding the pan: Do not crowd the pan. Too many chicken pieces in the pan make the oil's temperature fall too quickly. and it may not recover fast enough for good browning. Plus, the chicken will release moisture and steam rather than brown. The result is grey, soggy skin, which is so unattractive.
- Cook the right way: Also, to build layers of flavor, we will do more work than toss everything willy-nilly into the crockpot and hope for the best three hours later. After browning the chicken, we will sauté and season the onions, mushrooms, leeks, and garlic separately to punch up their flavors to optimum levels before adding them to the slow cooker. This way, we end up with maximum coq au vin flavor.
- Quick cooking tip: While the recipe requires cooking the chicken for about 3 hours on high in a slow cooker, you can achieve the same results in a 250°F (120°C) hot oven with a covered oven-proof pot if you don't have a slow cooker.
I like to use chicken quarters when I cook this hearty meal in the slow cooker. You get the best of both worlds if you use both dark and light meat. Swap the dark meat with 4 BONE-IN chicken breast quarters if you are not a fan. If you make that swap, add a bit more bacon and cook the breasts meat side down in the crockpot, so they can absorb as much flavor as possible.
Why bone-in chicken? Because it tastes better!
Ready to elevate your cooking skills? Dive into my braising basics for helpful tips and techniques.
⏲️ Time-Saving Tips
- Skip browning the chicken. While I don't recommend it, skipping the browning step will save you some time. Let the chicken cook in the slow cooker. The flavors in the pot will permeate it and it will still taste great.
- Cook overnight. Set a timer on your slow cooker. Cook it overnight and allow it to cool. Store until ready to serve.
- Use store-bought stock to cut prep and cooking time. Check the ingredients for any hidden sugars.
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Coq au Vin?
My slow cooker coq au vin pairs beautifully with various low-carb traditional French side dishes:
- French Haricot Verts: This is a simple and elegant side dish with a delicate flavor that will let the hearty coq au vin shine.
- Traditional French Frisée Salad: Serve the Frisée salad alongside coq au vin for depth, balance, and an aesthetic appeal. The pair is perfect for an elegant French-style dinner.
- Sautéed Spinach With Shallots: The simple sautéed spinach is a fantastic side dish as it doesn't overpower the French flavors of the coq au vin.
- Sautéed Brussels Sprouts: These will add a nice crunch, fresh flavors, and more nutritional value to the flavorful meal.
- Ratatouille: Pair the coq au vin with ratatouille to celebrate the flavors of French cuisine. The ratatouille adds complementary flavors and textural variety to the meal.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Storage
- Cool the leftover coq au vin and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezing
- The recipe freezes well in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and heat according to the guidelines below.
Reheating
- Stovetop: Reheat in a covered pan over medium heat, with the chicken sitting on top of the vegetables. This prevents the chicken’s flavor from changing.
- Oven: Reheat the coq au vin in a 350°F (170°C) oven for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.
- Microwave: On medium-high, covered, for 3-4 minutes or until warmed.
Recipe Conclusion
There goes my Slow Cooker Coq au Vin recipe with a slight, fun twist. It is the ultimate soothing dinner meal for a cold winter night. The ingredients meld to give a huge flavor burst, that even kids love. My wife asked me why I used beef stock rather than chicken stock and here's the answer: it adds complexity to the flavor. Beef stock has a heady richness that chicken broth lacks. You will love it in this recipe.
Do not hesitate to impress your family with this impressive chicken dish. Enjoy it with a side of your favorite vegetables and a bottle of wine. It goes well with a delicious little merlot or a sturdy Italian like a Barbera or a Barolo. Share your thoughts and questions about the recipe in the comments below. I'm curious to know your experience. Happy eating!
Other Chicken Recipes to Try
Did you love the coq au vin crockpot recipe? Here are other delicious chicken recipes you may love:
FAQs
Your favorite wine is the best wine to use in this French chicken casserole, as some of its flavors will remain in the dish. Any dry red with good acidity and flavor or dry white wine like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc works great with the recipe. I find coq au vin much tastier with a crisp white French wine like a Chardonnay.
Some reasons for bitterness in coq au vin include reducing the wine too much, burnt ingredients, overcooking certain ingredients like herbs and spices, or using bitter wine with high acidity levels.
Slow Cooker Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 10 ounces crimini or baby Bella mushrooms quartered
- 4 strips of thick cut bacon
- 1 whole chicken quartered and seasoned liberally with kosher salt and pepper
- 5 cloves garlic diced finely
- 1 onion sliced (Spanish onion)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- ½ cup leeks sliced (approximately 1 small leek)
- ½ cup white wine I use an unoaked French Chardonnay
- ½ cup beef stock
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot or corn starch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Gather the tools and ingredients.
- Optionally wash and dry, and quarter the chicken.
- Peel and slice the onion and leeks.
- Peel and dice the garlic cloves finely.
- Wash and quarter the mushrooms.
- Cut the bacon slices into thick pieces.
Cooking Instructions
Getting Ready for the Slow Cooker
- Using a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon when the oil is hot and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon, leaving the rendered fat in the pan, and set aside.
- Increase the heat to high. Add the raw chicken pieces in batches, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes. Check for browning. If it looks nicely browned, flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the pan from the heat when the chicken is browned to a golden color. Use tongs to transfer chicken pieces to the bottom of the slow cooker, skin side down.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high and return the pan to the heat with the fat still in the pan. Add the onions with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir, and as the onion releases water, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. When cooked, use tongs to remove the onions from the pan, keeping as much fat in the pan as possible. Add the onions over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the leeks with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring well. Add olive oil if they look dry. Add them to the slow cooker when they brown slightly.
- The pan should look fairly dry now. This is good. Add the mushrooms and NO salt. Cook them until they start to release some water, about 3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, some olive oil, and the garlic. Cook, stirring consistently, until fragrant (approximately 4 minutes or so). Add the white wine and reduce for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the slow cooker crock pot.
- Add the beef stock, red pepper flakes, and kosher salt to the chicken. Roughly dice the cooked bacon and add to the slow cooker. Cook for 3 hours at the high setting on your slow cooker.
Finishing the Coq au Vin
- Make a slurry with the water and arrowroot in a small bowl before removing the chicken from the slow cooker crock pot. Set aside.
- When the chicken is ready, remove the quarters and set aside, covered with foil.
- Using a strainer, strain out the solids. Set aside.
- Add the strained braising liquid to a wide sauté pan. Cook over high heat, reducing to approximately 2 cups. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the slurry, stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken nicely. If it is still too thin, make some more slurry and add sparingly!
- Add the mushrooms and onions as a base player on a large platter. Cover with chicken and coat everything with the crazy good gravy.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
“This website provides approximate nutrition data and information for convenience and as a courtesy only.”
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10 Responses
"Deliriously delightful", probably one of my favorite lines of the whole post! 😀 I have never tried coq au vin but have always thought of it as a really fancy pants dish. Putting in the slow cooker makes it much more approachable and your post was so informative!
Hi Carmella:
Thanks for stopping over! The slow cooker makes this recipe so easy. I'm making it again tonight for some of our friends coming over. Also makes entertaining easy because there isn't a lot to do!
Have an excellent weekend!
Take care,
Scott
I've never made a coq au vin with white wine before, but let me tell you that it is fabulous. My whole kitchen smells just delicious.
Hi Betty:
I know, I'm drooling every time I make it. The smell is absolutely divine.
Thank you for taking the time to write.
Have a fantastic day in the kitchen!
Scott
What was the rosemary for?
Hi Jackie:
The rosemary goes into the slow cooker with the chicken- it is going to add a really delightful flavor!
Thanks for asking and have a fantastic day in the kitchen!
Scott
Doesn’t the slow cooker get crowded with chicken. I wanted to use whole chicken legs. Should I do separate thighs and leg pieces? Planning to make this week. Thanks.