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Instant Pot Coq Au Vin takes all the rich, mouth-watering flavor of this iconic dish and brings it to life in a fraction of the time. Made with chicken, bacon, mushrooms, onions, red wine, and cognac, this delicious Instant Pot recipe is sure to be the star of the show.
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Coq au vin is easily one of the most famous of Julia Child’s recipes for good reason. This braised chicken dish is rich, aromatic, and layered with a depth of flavor few other dishes can hold a candle to. Actually, the first time I ever learned about coq au vin was in culinary school when we made Julia Child’s recipe. I’ve been a fan of hers ever since, and this Instant Pot Coq Au Vin is an ode to the master herself.
Made with chicken, bacon, and button mushrooms braised in a silky combination of red wine and chicken stock, this Instant Pot version of Julia Child’s coq au vin manages to develop the kind of flavor that normally takes hours and hours—in under one hour. If you’re looking for the type of chicken recipe that wows everyone who tries it and tricks your partner into thinking you’ve spent all day in the kitchen, this is the one.
With just 20 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes in the Instant Pot, you can turn a few basic ingredients into a Michelin star-worthy meal that you won’t be able to get enough of. Trust me, this recipe for coq au vin is the real deal. Once you try it out for yourself, I guarantee you’ll be whipping out the Instant Pot and a bottle of red every week.
Coq Au Vin Ingredients
To make this traditional Coq Au Vin recipe, you’re going to need the key ingredients listed below.
- Chicken: I love buying whole chickens and breaking them down myself to use all the cuts, but feel free to use any cuts of chicken you prefer. You can use bone-in and skin-on chicken or boneless and skinless chicken; it’s entirely up to you.
- Bacon: You can use pork bacon, turkey bacon, or —my personal favorite— beef bacon. Don’t skip the bacon; it adds tons of flavor!
- Red Wine: I like to use a red blend to impart a world of flavors. I know this is a French dish, but if you can get your hands on a red from Spain or South African wine—use it! As a rule of thumb, it’s great to cook with if you like the wine. Stay away from wines labeled as “cooking wines.”
- Cognac: Cognac is a brandy from France and is a staple ingredient in my coq au vin recipe. Some popular cognac brands include Remy Martin VSOP, Courvoisier VS and Hennessy. Parents, don’t worry—the small amount of alcohol will cook out.
- Onions: While caramelized onions are not a mandatory part of traditional coq au vin, I find that they add a rich and subtle sweetness that significantly enhances the dish.
How to Make the Best Instant Pot Coq Au Vin
One of the things I love most about this Instant Pot Coq Au Vin is that it comes together hours quicker than traditional coq au vin and still boasts that same irresistible taste. All you have to do to make the best coq au vin is follow the steps below.
Step 1: Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode, then add 1 tablespoon of oil and bacon and cook for 5 minutes until bacon is crispy. Drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 2: While the bacon cooks, combine salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Herbs de Provence, and cayenne in a small bowl. Liberally season the chicken on both sides with half the seasoning mix.
Step 3: Place the chicken in the Instant Pot skin-side down and cook in batches for 3 minutes until the chicken is brown. Remove the chicken and add butter and mushrooms, then cook for 3 minutes until the mushrooms shrink. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and remaining seasoning mix, to ensure the vegetables are coated. Then pour in cognac, red wine, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, chicken, and bacon. Cover and set to pressure cook on high for 30 minutes.
Step 4: While the chicken cooks, heat a 5-quart pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons oil, onions, and ½ teaspoons salt. Stir to coat the onions with oil, then cover and cook for 20 minutes until tender and brown. Stir occasionally to make sure the onions don’t burn.
Step 5: In a small bowl, add flour and butter, mixing until it looks like a smooth paste. Release the steam from the Instant Pot, remove the chicken, and cover it loosely with foil. Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and whisk in the flour paste. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture coats a spoon. Serve chicken immediately with sauce and garnish with onions, bacon, and parsley.
What to Serve With Coq Au Vin
While this dish is perfectly capable of standing on its own as the star of the show, it also works great as the main course of a larger meal. When I’m serving a crowd and want to do something on the fancier side, I love serving this dish with a side salad and some type of homemade bread, so my guests have something to soak up all of those amazing juices. Coq au vin also works wonderfully with pasta, mashed potatoes, and rice.
Here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with coq au vin:
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Jasmine Vegetable Rice
- Buttered Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Moist Southern Cornbread
- Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Coq Au Vin Recipe Tips and Substitutions
Here are some of my top tips to help you make the best Coq Au Vin dish:
- The key to any truly mouth-watering coq au vin is using a wine that you enjoy drinking. It can be an inexpensive bottle to the most expensive, and the point is to make sure you enjoy drinking it.
- I’ve found 20 minutes is perfect for cooking your onions but sometimes they need a little more time, so make sure to let the onions cook for the full amount of time.
- Use a small chicken 3-4 lbs. chicken, you do not want a chicken that’s too big unless you’re using a roasting hen.
- You can prep the dish to Step 2 right before you begin cooking the recipe. Cover with plastic wrap, poke holes in it to release any heat, place in the fridge before cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you can find the answers to some of the most common questions about this recipe for coq au vin:
Coq au vin translates to “chicken in wine” in French. This classic French dish was made famous by Julia Child and consists of chicken braised in red wine with bacon and mushrooms. This chicken stew typically takes hours to make, but cooking coq au vin in an Instant Pot allows us to develop tons of flavor in a much shorter amount of time.
Yes! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can cook coq au vin on the stove in a 5 or 6-quart pot instead. Once you add the chicken to the pot, bring it to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 30-35 minutes, then proceed with the recipe as instructed.
Wine is well-known for tenderizing meat and enhancing the flavors of sweet and savory dishes. When cooking with red wine, you typically want to go with a dry red or a red blend. Some of the most popular choices include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir. You don’t need anything fancy, but make sure to choose a bottle you actually enjoy the taste of.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
If you liked this dish, you’re gonna love these chicken recipes:
- Yassa Chicken Bowl
- Easy Spicy Orange Chicken
- Curry Chicken Ramen
- Tequila Lime Chicken Bowl
- New Orleans Spicy Chicken Pasta
I hope you give this Instant Pot Coq Au Vin a try. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also really simple to make. And if you do give it a go, be sure to come back and leave me a 5-star review. I always love hearing what you think of my recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Coq Au Vin
Ingredients
Coq au Vin:
- 1 3 ½ - 4 lbs. whole chicken washed, dried and cut in pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 4 slices beef bacon chopped medium
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 oz. white button mushrooms sliced
- 2 garlic cloves chopped fine
- 2 tablespoons cognac
- 2 cups red wine
- 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 sprigs of thyme or ¼ teaspoon dry thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
Caramelized Onions:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 4 medium onions sliced ¼ inch thick
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- One of the things I love most about this Instant Pot Coq Au Vin is that it comes together hours quicker than traditional coq au vin and still boasts that same irresistible taste. All you have to do to make the best coq au vin is follow the steps below.
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode, then add 1 tablespoon of oil and bacon and cook for 5 minutes until bacon is crispy. Drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.
- While the bacon cooks, combine salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Herbs de Provence, and cayenne in a small bowl. Liberally season the chicken on both sides with half the seasoning mix.
- Place the chicken in the Instant Pot skin-side down and cook in batches for 3 minutes until the chicken is brown. Remove the chicken and add butter and mushrooms, then cook for 3 minutes until the mushrooms shrink. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and remaining seasoning mix, to ensure the vegetables are coated. Then pour in cognac, red wine, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, chicken, and bacon. Cover and set to pressure cook on high for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, heat a 5-quart pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons oil, onions, and ½ teaspoons salt. Stir to coat the onions with oil, then cover and cook for 20 minutes until tender and brown. Stir occasionally to make sure the onions don’t burn.
- In a small bowl, add flour and butter, mixing until it looks like a smooth paste. Release the steam from the Instant Pot, remove the chicken, and cover it loosely with foil. Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and whisk in the flour paste. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture coats a spoon. Serve chicken immediately with sauce and garnish with onions, bacon and parsley.
Notes
• I’ve found 20 minutes is perfect for cooking your onions but sometimes they need a little more time, so make sure to let the onions cook for the full amount of time.
• Use a small chicken 3-4 lbs. chicken, you do not want a chicken that’s too big unless you’re using a roasting hen.
• You can prep the dish to Step 2 right before you begin cooking the recipe. Cover with plastic wrap, poke holes in it to release any heat, place in the fridge before cooking. How to Store the Dish Coq au Vin – You can make the chicken one day in advance and reheat it the next day. To store, keep the chicken in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Caramelized Onions – Onions can be made 2 days in advance, as long as you keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.
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