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This Healthier Instant Pot Coq au Vin is 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. All made in the instant pot (or the slow cooker), using simple, wholesome ingredients that you might already have on hand. This dish is warm, flavorful, hearty but healthy, and so delicious. Great for both a simple family dinner and holiday entertaining.

overhead photo of Healthier Instant Pot Coq au Vin with wine glasses and bread on table

What better way to start Monday off than with an easier, healthier take on a fancy French classic? Especially one that involves cooking with red wine? Yes, this is a good Monday recipe.

Coq au vin is a family favorite. Every time I make it, I love it more and more.

Coq au Vin is the fancy French way of saying chicken braised in red wine. It’s a truly delicious and hearty recipe that’s perfect when served over mashed potatoes. Add a side of crusty bread to soak up all the flavorful red wine sauce…la perfection!

Today I’m simplifying the traditionally lengthy recipe by cooking this entirely in the instant pot in less than an hour. If you prefer to use the slow cooker I’ve included directions for that too, you choose. But by far, the most requests this past month have been for more instant pot recipes.

It seems as though everyone is getting on board with the instant pot. Which makes me happy, because I actually love it too. It definitely took me a while to get on the instant pot train. But once I got the hang of cooking with it, I quickly realized why everyone loves their instant pot so much. It’s kind of like cooking magic, and I do think it cooks the best chicken every single time…

overhead photo of Healthier Instant Pot Coq au Vin in instant pot bowl

Which is why I am excited for today’s recipe!

As mentioned, coq au vin is traditionally a French style chicken that’s slowly cooked in red wine on the stove top. Some recipes require four plus hours of cooking, multiple steps, a good amount of ingredients, and a lot of hands on time. That’s all great if we have the whole day to spend in the kitchen, but I totally get that most of us just don’t.

Enter this healthier, easier take on Coq au Vin that’s made entirely in the instant pot.

It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s flavorful…and just oh so good. The secret? A little bit of bacon, red wine, and plenty of fresh thyme (fresh herbs are my current obsession).

overhead close up photo of Healthier Instant Pot Coq au Vin

Here’s how you make it. You ready? It’s simple.

Cook up the bacon and get it nice and crisp. Add in the onions, garlic, and tomato paste, cooking until fragrant. Then add the wine, chicken and herbs. Cover and cook for a bit. In about 20 or so minutes, you’ll be done.

I know it sounds too good to be true, but I promise, it really is this simple.

A few notes.

Traditionally, coq au vin is made with whole chicken pieces. I used chicken breasts, which not only cook up quicker, but are also a lighter choice than skin on dark meat. The red wine helps to keep the chicken from drying out. The instant pot cooks the chicken until it’s perfectly tender and tastes as though it’s been slow cooked all day long.

It’s going to seem like a lot of wine to use, but trust me, it’s going to be great. The wine is the heart of the recipe, providing flavor while also helping to tenderize the chicken, so don’t skip it.

Highly recommending these mashed potatoes and a crusty side of bread. And for anyone looking for a simple stove-top version, check out this recipe.

Also? Maybe pour yourself a glass of wine while you’re cooking. It’s Monday and that just sounds like a nice idea…

overhead photo of Healthier Instant Pot Coq au Vin with fork in bowl

If you make this coq au vin please 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Healthier Instant Pot Coq au Vin

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 452 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

Instructions

Instant Pot

  • 1. Set Instant Pot to sauté. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. 
    2. To the instant post, add the onion, garlic, and tomato paste and cook an additional 5 minutes. Turn the instant pot off. 
    3. Add in the red wine, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, chicken, carrots, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
    3. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Set the Instant pot to sauté and bring to a boil, boil 5 minutes or until the liquid reduces slightly. Turn the instant pot off. Remove the bay leaves and thyme and discard. Stir in the parsley and reserved bacon.
    4. Serve the chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes.

Slow Cooker

  • 1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon.
    2. To the skillet, add the onion, garlic, and tomato paste and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to the bowl of your slow cooker.
    3.  To the slow cooker, add in the red wine, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, chicken, carrots, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. 
    3. Once done cooking, cook, uncovered on high for 15-20 minutes to reduce the sauce. Remove the bay leaves and thyme and discard. Stir in the parsley and reserved bacon.
    4. Serve the chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes.
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Comments

  1. I wanted to this have some more depth but I think only cooking it for 8 minutes made it lose out on tasting anything like dried white meat chicken and some broth. The red wine needs all day to cook, avoid doing this in the Instant Pot.

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Holy Cow!!! I have to admit, I was a tad skeptical about using chicken breasts but decided to try it as I had some in the freezer that I needed to use. I didn’t have fresh thyme so I used dried and a pinch of Italian seasoning. I did make a slurry to thicken the gravy at the end. This is a dish I will be making regularly. It was perhaps the easiest, quickest, tastiest meal I’ve ever made in my Instant Pot (and I use it a lot), absolutely fantastic!

    Reply

    1. Hey Kim,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a go, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan

      Reply

  3. I made this for my family tonight and they loved it. I used boneless chicken thighs and I did cook it for a total of 18 min (added a 10 min after the 8 min was up) as I didn’t think the chicken looked done in the instant pot. I also made a slurry (2 tbsp of cornstarch 1 tbsp of water) to thicken the sauce faster.

    Reply

    1. Hey Erin,
      I am so glad that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xTieghan

      Reply

  5. 4 stars
    This is my first recipe in an instant pot (just got one), and it was delicious !!!. I have made coq-au-vin many times the traditional way, and this recipe compares quite well to the slow-cooked versions I have made before. One of the biggest appeals to me was the use of chicken breasts (instead of thighs). Will definitely prepare it again and again.

    Thank you and Happy New Year !!!

    Reply

  7. love the recipe! just tried it for the first time and it was epic! one question, how do you get it so thick? we made it in our instapot and it came out a bit watery.

    Reply

    1. Hey Julian,
      Thanks for giving the recipe a try! Next time to thicken the sauce allow it to cook on saute for a bit, you can also add corn starch. I hope this helps! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    I made this for my family a couple nights ago and everyone raved about it! I added pearl onions (right before boiling at the end) and chicken thighs, but even without those it would’ve been delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  9. This dish is amazing! I left out the bacon because I forgot to buy it. I added a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up a bit after letting it boil for ~10 min. Other than those two differences this turned out AMAZING! and made the house smell good 🙂

    Reply

  10. 5 stars
    This was delicious, easy, quick. What more could you ask?! Red wine always gives such a wonderful flavor to anything when you cook with it. So much better cooking it in the pressure cooker than on the stove!

    Reply

  11. Hi Tieghan! Instead of the mashed potatoes, can we follow the recipe in your Half Baked Harvest book using the cut up potatoes in the Instant pot? Not sure if that would change anything regarding cooking time, thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hey Cindy,
      Sure that would work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Danielle,
      You will want to use 2 teaspoons of each. I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions and Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  14. Looks brilliant but don’t have an instant pot or slow cooker – can I cook it on the stove top and just cook longer/until chicken is cooked?

    Reply

  15. I’m making the healthier instant pot coq qu vin. I’m new to instanta pot. step two says “to the instant post, add onion etc…
    what do i put the instant pot on sauté, or pressure cook or slow cook
    thanks lynne

    Reply

    1. Hey Lynne,
      You are going to keep it on sauté during step 2. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply