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Slow Cooker Coq au Vin

A country style slow cooker coq au vin made with white wine, layers of flavor and soul satisfying goodness.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Servings: 6
Calories: 470kcal
Author: Scott Groth

Ingredients

  • 4 Strips Bacon thick cut
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 Whole Chicken quartered and seasoned liberally with kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 Onion sliced (I use a large Spanish onion)
  • ½ Cup Leeks sliced (approx 1 small leek)
  • 10 oz Crimini or Baby Bella mushrooms quartered
  • 5 Cloves Garlic small dice
  • ½ Cup White Wine I use an unoaked French Chardonnay
  • ½ Cup Beef Stock
  • ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 Sprig Rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 2 tablespoon Water
  • 1 teaspoon Arrowroot or Corn Starch

Instructions

Getting Ready for the Slow Cooker

  • Using a heavy bottom pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in 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 in the chicken, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes. Check for browning. If it looks nicely browned, flip and repeat on the other side. When the chicken is browned, remove the pan from the heat. Using tongs, add the chicken 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 in the onions with a good pinch of kosher salt. Stir and as the onion releases its 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 crock pot.
  • Return the pan to the heat and add in the leeks with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring well. If they look dry, add in olive oil. When they have browned just a bit, add them to the crock pot.
  • The pan should look fairly dry now. This is good. Add in the mushrooms and NO salt. Cook them until they start to release some water, about 3 minutes. Add in a pinch of salt, some olive oil and the garlic. Cook, stirring consistently, until fragrant (approx 4 minutes or so). Add the white wine and reduce for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the 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 crock pot.

Finishing the Coq au Vin

  • Just before you remove the chicken from the slow cooker, make a slurry in a small bowl with the water and arrowroot. 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 saute 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!
  • On a large platter, add the mushrooms and onions as a base payer. Cover with chicken and coat everything with the crazy good gravy.
  • Serve hot and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 470kcal