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!