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My Crockpot Coq au Vin Meatballs are ideal for chilly fall and winter nights. Perfect for when you’re wanting a fancy slow-braised chicken, but need something simple and easy to throw together. Made easily with herb-seasoned parmesan chicken meatballs cooked in wine with vegetables, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs. This dish is warm, flavorful, hearty but healthy, and so delicious. Serve over mashed potatoes with bread on the side. Great for simple family dinners or holiday entertaining.
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And like clockwork, we’re just a week away from Thanksgiving and I am really leaning into easy, cozy, crockpot dinners. With the holiday season kicking into full gear this week, things feel busier than ever. I’m sure we can all relate.
I think it’s important to remember that even though we have the big holiday dinner around the corner, we still have to eat on the days leading up to Thanksgiving too!
Personally, I LOVE this time just before Thanksgiving. Usually, my family is all slowly trickling in to stay for the extra long weekend. I’m cooking like crazy, and yet it’s all somehow a relaxing, comforting, and exciting time.
Busy, but it’s always so nice to cook for the whole family again, it’s fun!
When everyone is here, I love to create dinners with certain brothers or cousins in mind. Last year around this time, I finally made white chicken chili for my cousin Abby. And the year before that, spicy butter chicken for my brother Creighton.
And this year, I turned to my brother Brendan for some inspiration. I first made coq au vin way, way back in 2014. He loved this more traditional dish and said it was SO DELICIOUS.
It’s a classic french dish consisting of chicken braised in red wine with vegetables. I wanted to turn it into a meatball dish that could easily be cooked in the crockpot. It took a few rounds of testing, but I finally got the recipe just right!
Details
Mix up the meatballs first. Ground chicken with parmesan, sage, thyme, onion, garlic, and chili flakes. Then roll the mix into balls and add them to the crockpot. If you don’t love the idea of doing this in the crockpot, you can use the instant pot or stove top variations I give.
From here, pretty much everything goes into the crockpot all at once. Add the red wine, broth, and tomato paste. Then lots of carrots (my favorite addition) and mushrooms. Then a whole onion, a head of garlic, thyme, and bay leaves.
Cover and slow cook. Since these are meatballs, they can cook quickly on high for a couple of hours or cook them low and slow all day. Either is great and the meatballs are never dry. The wine will add moisture to them.
BUT, here’s what I will say about this recipe, the wine does turn the meatballs a funny color. It’s not the prettiest. However, the drizzle of garlic butter and a sprinkling of fresh parsley just before serving will fix them right up. They end up looking delish.
Just be aware, you will have purple-ish colored meatballs.
When the meatballs are cooked, pull them out along with the garlic, then set them aside on a baking sheet. Add butter and garlic around the meatballs then place the sheet pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp them up.
What happens is that the butter browns around the meatballs and garlic. I then chop up the garlic and toss them back onto the pan with butter. Then toss the meatballs with the garlicky butter to finish. This step is optional, but I think it really adds flavor and a nice color to the dish.
My favorite way to serve these meatballs is over 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. I already know it’s going to be a go-to recipe this winter.
Looking for other slow cooker meals? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon.
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Coq au Vin 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!
Crockpot Coq au Vin Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- chili flakes
- kosher salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
- 2 slices thick-cut bacon, halved
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 head garlic, top trimmed off to reveal the cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. Add the chicken, 3/4 cup parmesan, sage, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, chili flakes, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Mix to combine. Roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 16-18 meatballs). 2. Pour over the wine and broth. Add the tomato paste, carrots, mushrooms, and bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme around the meatballs. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1-2 hours.3. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the meatballs and garlic from the slow cooker and place onto a baking sheet. Remove and discard the bacon and bay leaves. Crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Let cook, uncovered, 10-30 minutes. 4. Sprinkle the meatballs with 1/4 cup parmesan. Arrange the butter around the meatballs and garlic, then broil 1-3 minutes, until crisp. Peel away the garlic skin, then chop the garlic and mix with the butter on the sheet pan. Toss the meatballs in the butter.5. Serve the meatballs in the sauce with parsley and parmesan.
Instant Pot
- 1. Add the chicken, 3/4 cup parmesan, sage, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, chili flakes, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Mix to combine. Roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 16-18 meatballs). 2. Set the instant pot to sauté. Add olive oil, then add the meatballs and bacon to the instant pot and sear until browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1 chopped onion. Cook 5 minutes, then add the butter and garlic. Let the butter brown, another 2-3 minutes. Pour in the wine and broth. Add the tomato paste, carrots, mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.3. Once done cooking, release the steam. Set the Instant pot to sauté. Remove the garlic, chop, and stir into the sauce. Remove and discard the bay leaves.4. Serve the meatballs in the sauce with parsley and parmesan.
Stove
- 1. Add the chicken, 3/4 cup parmesan, sage, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, chili flakes, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Mix to combine. Roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 16-18 meatballs). 2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then add the meatballs and bacon and sear until browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1 chopped onion. Cook 5 minutes, then add the butter and garlic. Let the butter brown, another 2-3 minutes. Pour in the wine and broth. Add the the tomato paste and 2 cloves chopped garlic, the carrots, mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.4. Serve the meatballs in the sauce with parsley and parmesan.
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.
Why do you discard the bacon along with the bay leaves in the slow cooker version but not the other two?
Hi Sarah,
So sorry, you are just going to discard the bay leaves, not the bacon. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this dish turns out well for you! xx
Hi Tieghan. I made this tonight, but it’s definitely not as good or as healthy (hello! 6 tbs butter?) as your 30 minute coq au vin meatballs recipe https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/recipe-collections/#collection/inbox/83432/6 I haven’t tried all of the 5 (!) different coq au vin meatball recipes on your website, but I’m going to stick with the 30 minute version.
Thanks for sharing Regina, sorry to hear you didn’t love the recipe!
FYI- The stovetop version says to add butter instead of tomato paste
Thanks Laurie, I will fix this!!
I made this dish this evening. I started using the crockpot but ended up on the stove, then broiler…simmered the carrots and shrooms in the wine sauce. Served over mashed potatoes that I added some of the butter and mashed garlic sauce to. It was perfect!!
Chef’s Kiss
Hey Brook,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Perfect as is. Wouldn’t say this would feed 6 people though. I used 1.25 pounds ground turkey, omitted the mushrooms, so maybe that’s the difference. The sauce was delicious, especially with the garlic on some good bread!
Hey there,
Happy Friday!!❄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
Looking forward to trying this when our son is home for Thanksgiving break! What would you think of subsituting polenta for the mashed potatoes??
Hey Rachel,
Polenta would be delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Would white wine be good in this dish? It may keep the meatballs a “normal” color?
No harm in giving it a try! I personally like the coloration of the red wine. It looks like a beef/pork mix but when you bite into the meatball the inside is white. I also feel that the red holds up better with the intensity of garlic and sage.
Hi Joanne,
Sure, white wine would work for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi! I’m excited to try this! What do you suggest in place of wine for cooking in this recipe? Thank you
Hey Bani,
You can use broth in place of the wine for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This recipe is so delicious. Didn’t change a thing about the recipe and it was perfect fall comfort food.
Hey Christine,
Happy Friday!!❄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
Could you use beef instead of chicken for the meatballs? Thanks!!
Hey Stacey,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Thank you, Jennifer! I was wondering if a dry white wine could be used instead of the red. I was also thinking of using red wine, but changing the chicken broth to beef stock. (My mother-in-law used to but some beef stock into her homemade chicken noodle soup, and it was a wonderful addition.)
Hey Catherine,
Any of those combos would be great to use here:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you!! xTieghan
How would I change the final insta pot instructions? I only have a regular crock pot.
I can’t wait to try this. Thank you! I can never get past the image of pink chicken so whenever I make the traditional version, I always use white wine instead of red (gasp). I have some ground turkey in the fridge and will make this for friends tomorrow night!
Perfect!! I hope you love the recipe Jennifer, let me know how it turns out:)
Hey Sherri,
Just follow the slow cooker instructions:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Hello, any suggested alternatives to the bacon? Please let me know as we don’t do bacon. Thanks
Hey Megs,
How about turkey bacon? If not, just skip it:) I hope this recipe turns out delish, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
What can I use in place of the red wine? Non alcoholic version?
Thanks!
Hey Cara,
Chicken or beef broth will be great to use in place of the wine! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Will this freeze well? If so, at what stage? Looks delish.
Hey Debbie,
Sure, I would probably just freeze after step 2. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe is amazing! xTieghan