Slow Cooker Coq au Vin (Chicken with Wine)

On my Facebook page, several readers asked for more free slow cooker recipes. I love them, too. The prep work is a snap, the aroma drifts through the house all day, and the end result can be amazing. Slow cooker recipes are especially wonderful during these cold months.

I was in the mood for something simple. Something like you might find on a stove top in a French countryside kitchen, a few fresh ingredients that come together in the perfect combination of flavors.

I suspect that true aficionados of French cuisine probably don’t use Onion Soup Mix, but I’m a fan. I’m all about quick and easy recipes, and onion soup mix is a short cut to flavor. Ranks right up there with the best inventions of the 20th Century.

Coq au vin. Chicken with wine. As soon as the thought occurred, I knew I had a winner. And I was right. You know that aroma I was talking about? My house smelled incredible all day Sunday. So good! And the flavor was amazing.

I’m very proud to share my recipe for Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin with you. You can find a printable version of this recipe at www.susanmallery.com.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin

3 lbs chicken bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
8 oz whole mushrooms
2 stalks of celery, cut into one-inch chunks
1 small onion, sliced
1 can of Campbell’s golden mushroom soup
½ can of dry red wine
1 envelope of onion soup mix
1 bay leaf

After washing the mushrooms, toss them into the slow cooker whole. Layer the onion slices and celery chunks, and then place the chicken thighs on top of the vegetables. Mix together the soup, wine, bay leaf, and onion soup mix, then pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

I ate this by itself, but I do think this would taste even better served over rice. It would be good over mashed potatoes, too, but in that case, I think you would want to thicken the sauce with cornstarch.