Coq au Vin: An Easy Instant Pot Recipe

Coq au Vin is one of those recipes that sounds intimidating. It’s classic French comfort food, sounds pretty, and is absolutely amazing. The rich flavors from the chicken, bacon, and vegetables stewing in that wine are perfect with garlicky mashed potatoes. Especially on cold winter nights. But who has time for all that on a busy weeknight!? Well, you do; you have the time. At least you do now!

Coq au Vin Recipe

This recipe for Coq au Vin is simple, only takes a few ingredients, and is done in less than an hour.

Ingredients

Meat: For this Coq au Vin, I used chicken quarters as it is traditionally served. The dark meat soaks up a bit of the wine sauce and becomes well-flavored and extremely tender. I kept them whole, but you can separate the leg and thigh. Alternatively, serve with just chicken thighs or legs, whichever you prefer.

You’ll also need some thick-cut bacon. My favorite is Wright bacon, but any brand will do just fine.

Wine: I prefer to use Pinot Noir for my red wine cooking. It offers a beautifully rich flavor especially combined with the other ingredients. Also, I typically use a bottle I will drink, like Meiomi. If you don’t want to drink whatever’s left, I recommend going a little cheaper.

Vegetables: One of the reasons I love Coq au Vin SO much is because of the veggies. They are all of my favorites. Mushrooms, Carrots, and Shallots sautéd to perfection and then pressure cooked in wine? Yeah, it doesn’t get much better than that!

Herbs and Spices: To add and enhance the flavors in this recipe, you’ll need some Minced Garlic, Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, and fresh Thyme.

Miscellaneous: Some additional ingredients help with flavor and texture. I use Salted Butter when cooking the bacon and sautéing the onions.

You’ll also want to grab some Red wine Vinegar, Chicken Stock, and Tomato Paste.

Lastly, you’ll need Corn Starch and water for a slurry to thicken the sauce before serving.

Directions

Begin by setting your Instant Pot to sauté on high for 15 minutes and add the butter.

Once the butter has begun to melt, add the diced bacon and allow it to start to brown and curl.

Next, add the shallots. Do not dice or chop them. Peel them, separate the different pieces and drop them in whole. Sauté the shallots with the butter and bacon until they soften and turn translucent.

Now, add the garlic and continue Sautéing for another 2-3 minutes or until the garlic becomes aromatic.

Pour in the Red Wine Vinegar and Chicken stock. Using a wooden or stiff silicon spatula, deglaze the bottom of the pot.

Once the pot has been deglazed, add the kosher salt, black pepper, and tomato paste, stirring to incorporate the other ingredients fully.

Add the sliced mushrooms and carrots, giving it all another good stir.

And the moment we’ve all been waiting for…Time for The Wine!

Pour the wine into the Instant Pot and bring it to a boil. Next, add the chicken quarters and spread the Fresh Thyme over the top.

Secure the lid to the Instant Pot and set it to Pressure cook on high.

Once the cooking process is complete, allow for a 15-minute release.

Lastly, remove the chicken and set it aside. Make a slurry using the water and cornstarch, and pour the slurry into the Coq au Vin, stirring to combine thoroughly. Place the chicken back into the Instant pot and set it to Sauté to bring to a simmer allowing the sauce to thicken. This will take about 5-10 minutes or until your desired thickness has been reached.

Serve your Coq au Vin with amazing matched potatoes and maybe even some crusty french bread to clean up the whole plate when you’re done.

In Conclusion

Coq au Vin doesn’t need to be intimidating. This Instant Pot Recipe is easy and quick enough for a cozy, elegant weeknight meal. The rich flavors are perfect in the fall and winter to warm up the soul. This recipe will impress your friends and family, an ideal way for everyone to come together.

Plus, if you enjoy recipes like this, you’ll LOVE these!

• Chilean Sea Bass
• Slow Cooker Short Ribs
• Irish Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Swiss Steak
• Bananas Foster Banana Pudding
• Spicy Oyster Stew

I hope you love this recipe and appreciate you stopping in to Chicken Fried Kitchen.

Let me know in the comments if you made any adjustments that took this recipe to the next level.

I’d love to hear from you and as usual…

Happy Cooking!

-Jeremy