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These 30 Minute Coq au Vin Chicken Meatballs…with browned butter mashed potatoes. Best for those cold fall and winter nights when you want a fancy slow-braised chicken, but you want it ready in less than an hour. Made quickly with healthy oven-baked chicken meatballs, using simple wholesome ingredients that you may already have on hand. This dish is warm, flavorful, hearty but healthy, and so delicious. The Coq au Vin sauce is made using rich red wine, root vegetables, and fresh herbs. Great for both a simple family dinner and holiday entertaining.
If I had to choose the recipe for you to all be making this week, tonight even, it would be these meatballs. And you know what’s funny? For someone who has really avoided making meatballs in the past, I sure have taken a liking to them this past year.
So far I’ve shared butter chicken meatballs, coconut curry chicken meatballs, sticky sesame ginger meatballs, and now these coq au vin meatballs. Without thinking twice, these are my favorite meatballs of the “bunch”. I know I shouldn’t be picking recipe favorites, but these are the flavors I love, especially this time of year. The weather in NYC has turned cold and deary (and very snowy in Colorado), and it’s just the time of year for recipes like this.
When I made these meatballs just last week, my oldest brother, Creighton, was in town. I, of course, fed him multiple dinners (the boy lives to eat!). But at the end of his trip he declared these meatballs as the best dish he ate all week. He LOVED them, so I think it’s safe to say this is a very good recipe.
And easy too, which is honestly just an added bonus.
Here is how you make these meatballs.
Start with the meatballs themselves. I always use the simplest mix of ground chicken (or turkey), an egg, Panko bread crumbs, and a little parmesan cheese.
Here’s my trick though, instead of pan-frying the meatballs, I bake them in the oven. Not only is this easier, but it also saves on time. While the meatballs are cooking away in the oven, you can be working on the coq au vin sauce…
This sauce…it’s everything.
If you could not tell by now, I love Coq au Vin so much. I shared a more classic coq au vin a few years back. Here’s a link to watch me prepare it on Hallmark Home and Family. And the thing that makes Coq au Vin so delicious?
The red wine based sauce. This sauce is truly one of the most delicious sauces you will make.
But today’s Coq au Vin is all about these meatballs. There’s also a little bacon…for flavor, along with a mix of hearty fall vegetables, rich red wine, and herbs. The wine is key as it’s what gives the sauce its signature “french” flavor.
Traditionally, Coq au Vin is a slow-braised chicken that can take hours to make. Using meatballs allows this classic French dish to turn into a quick-cooking weeknight dinner…that also happens to be fancy enough for a weekend gathering.
My favorite way to serve these meatballs is over my buttery herbed mashed potatoes. Spooning the sauce over the creamy mashed potatoes and topping with the meatballs leaves you with a cozy dinner that’s effortless to make.
And one that everyone really loves! My only other suggestion is to add a side of crusty bread for dipping. Perfect dinner, right? I’m excited t have this one in my back pocket for the upcoming holiday season. I already know it’s going to be a go-to recipe once my family arrives and the craziness begins!
If you make these 30 minute Coq au Vin Chicken Meatballs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
watch the how to video:
30 Minutes Coq au Vin Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey or chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2-3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- mashed potatoes, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.2. Add the turkey, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a bowl. Coat your hands with a bit of olive oil and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-20 meatballs), placing them on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp and cooked through.3. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon and reserve. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. To the skillet, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Stir in the garlic, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelizing on the edges. Add the tomato paste. Cook 1 minute.4. Add in the red wine, chicken broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a boil, cook 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the meatballs, cover and cook 5 minutes, until the meatballs are coated in the sauce. Remove the bay leaves and thyme and discard. Stir in the parsley and reserved bacon.4. Serve the meatballs and sauce over mashed potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This is so so good! It’s also very easy. It did take more more than the 30 min, but wasn’t too much more than that. I will definitely be making these again. Oh and double the sauce because it is SO good.
Hey Kirsten,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
This is delicious. I am looking forward to serving it to my friends at a dinner party, if this covid thing ever goes away.? The flavor of the sauce is simple for picky eaters and complicated enough for those that cook. I have made it three times now, and I prefer ground chicken over turkey, sticking to the original flavor of coq au vin, and grind boneless, skinless chicken thighs in my food processor.
Hi Kathryn,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This is in no way a 30 minute recipe. It took me an hour and a half. However it was pretty tasty although by that time we were all less choosey than we might have been.
Hi Julie,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, sorry it took longer than expected. xTieghan
Took me two hours but is a tasty recipe.
Hi George,
Wonderful! I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Sorry this took you longer than expected. xTieghan
I just made this and my meat balls were very dense… what did I do wrong? The sauce was delicious
Hey Naomi,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear about your meatballs, was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? xTieghan
I never leave comments but this is my family’s FAVORITE!! It’s a regular in our rotation and even my Uber picky kids just love it!
Hey Danielle,
I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for testing it out! Have a great week! xTieghan
Maybe I am just blind but I do not see the recipe for the browned butter mashed potatoes…
Hi Amy,
The recipe is linked in step 4:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/crockpot-three-cheese-mashed-potatoes/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This could be our new cold weather fav! We have made a lot of your recipes lately. We have enjoyed every one of them but this one was our favorite! It definitely took me longer than 30 minutes though-but it was totally worth it!!
Hey Amy,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made these tonight. I did make a few adjustments though. I only say ground chicken breast, so I was a bit concerned that they may be dry bc there is no fat it chicken breast, so I decided to add some fat. I used 2#’s of ground chicken, so I added 1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese & 1/2 cup of cooked mushrooms (I had some in the fridge) to the meatball recipe. I also added 1 tsp of kosher salt to the meatballs. The meatballs were fabulous!!!!! The sauce I did the same as the recipe. I loved this recipe!!!! Thank you Tieghan.
Hey Stephanie,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xTieghan
This recipe really is SO good. I’ve made probably 20+ Of Tieghan’s recipes and own two of her cook books. Always look forward to recreating her recipes bevause they are amazing. I noticed some people said this recipe took awhile but honestly I thought the mashed potatoes took longer ??♀️ The sauce with this is amazing! Next time I might make more of it because it is SO good on the mashed potatoes. This is probably in my top 3 of all the recipes I’ve tried.
Hey Haley,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Amazing recipe, uncomplicated, quick to cook and delicious results!
Hey! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Monday ? xTieghan
This recipe is perfect comfort food. Made it last night and everyone loved it!
Thanks so much Cara! 🙂 xTieghan
Usually I love all HBH recipes–this one needs some tweaks–first off, be prepared to dedicate more than 30 minutes (and I’m a fast cook), bake the meatballs at a lower temperature–450 is too high and really dried mine out. The sauce is delicious, however, but it needs time to meld flavors–but that additional time significantly reduces it and impacts the sauce:meatball ratio–Suggest adding more tomato paste, broth and wine.
Hey Carrie, thanks so much for the feedback! I really appreciate it! xTieghan
This was delicious! The perfect fall dish. It’s hard to get ground chicken here in the UK so I just broke some chicken sausages into pieces, fried them off and added those to the sauce 5 mins before the end. I did the chopping as I went along and it took me just over 30 mins in total. Will definitely make this again!
Hey Holly! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xTieghan
I made these for the second time tonight. The meatballs and sauce came out perfect and were so yummy over the cheesy potatoes. Such a nice cozy meal! I used ground turkey last time, and that was also very good.
Hi! I really appreciate you taking the time to give this recipe a try! I hope you loved it 🙂 xTieghan
This was so delicious! It tastes like it’s something that simmered all day in a French bistro, but it was quick and easy. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Kathryn,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xTieghan
Can cinnamon roll be frozen. .?