Slow Cooker Coq au Vin

Budget-friendly chicken thighs slow-cooked in red wine with bacon, pearl onions and mushrooms — a classic coq au vin made easy.

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Recipe Info
Servings: 4
Prep: 30m
Cook: 4h
Total: 4h 30m
Ingredients
  • 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
  • 30g butter
  • 140g smoked bacon lardons or diced smoked pancetta
  • 400g pearl onions or small shallots, peeled and left whole
  • 2 large or 4 small carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • 600ml red wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 large thyme sprig
  • 300g button chestnut mushrooms, kept whole (larger ones chopped)
  • Handful of parsley leaves, chopped (optional)
  • Mash or buttered tagliatelle, to serve
Instructions
  1. Season the chicken. Melt half the butter in a deep frying pan or large flameproof casserole over a medium heat and cook the chicken, skin-side down, for 10 minutes until deep golden. Flip to seal the fleshy side for a few minutes — do this in batches if needed. Put in the slow cooker.
  2. Tip the bacon into the same pan and fry for 5-6 minutes until crisp, then add to the slow cooker. Tip the onions and carrots into the pan and fry in the bacon fat for 5 minutes until starting to colour. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute more, then sprinkle over the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until you have a sandy paste. Stir through the tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes more. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer for 2 minutes.
  3. Tip the contents of the pan over the chicken. Pour the stock and wine into the pan, bring to the boil, then pour into the slow cooker. Nestle in the bay leaves and thyme, season, then set the slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours, 5-6 hours on medium or 7-8 hours on low, stirring once or twice, until the chicken is tender.
  4. While the chicken cooks, heat the remaining butter in a clean pan and fry the mushrooms for 4-5 minutes over a medium heat. Tip into the slow cooker about an hour before the end of cooking and stir.
  5. Scatter over the parsley, if using, and serve with mash or buttered tagliatelle.
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