Crockpot Coq au Vin

An easy, family recipe for Coq au Vin made in the slow cooker. Set it and leave it for a hearty dinner later in the evening!

📝 Ingredients

• unsalted butter
• light oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 chicken legs, skin on
• 1 onion
• 1 celery stick
• 1 garlic clove
• 160 g smoked bacon lardons
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 150 ml red wine
• 50 ml chicken stock
• 50 g button mushrooms
• flat leaf parsley or fresh thyme (optional, for serving)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Heat a knob of butter and a splash of oil in the bottom of your slow cooker insert on the hob, over a high heat. If you don’t have a slow cooker with one of those removable sear-and-stew inserts, start this off in a frying pan and transfer everything to the slow cooker just before you add the liquids.
2. 2Season the chicken legs generously with salt and pepper and sear them until well browned for a few minutes on each side – as I only own a small slow cooker I need to do this in batches – and once browned set them aside on a kitchen paper lined plate to drain off any excess fat.
3. 3Tip away any excess fat in the bottom of the slow cooker and return it to the heat, turning the temperature down to medium. Add the onion, peeled and chopped, the celery, topped, tailed and chopped, and a little more salt and fry for 5 minutes or so until they have just started to soften and colour.
4. 4Add the garlic, peeled and crushed, and the bacon lardons. Fry for a few minutes more until the bacon has just started to cook through, and stir in the flour. Fry for a further minute.
5. 5Add the wine and the stock and return the chicken legs to the slow cooker along with the button mushrooms. Make sure the legs are well nestled so they’re as covered with the liquid as possible, and set the slow cooker for 3 hours on high, or 6 hours on low.
6. 6Check the seasoning before serving.