A French classic goes keto! This comforting coq au vin recipe has fewer carbs than the original, and is made extra easy in your slow cooker.
This Keto Coq au Vin recipe is just like the classic French dish, with a few delicious twists.
I’ve swapped out some of the veggies for lower carb options, reducing the overall carb count while keeping the same rich and hearty flavor. And while traditional coq au vin can be a laborious process, I’ve made this easier and more straightforward by utilizing my CrockPot®.
An easier and healthier version of the classic comfort food recipe? Sign me up!
Slow Simmered in a CrockPot®
You probably knew that Crock-Pot brand is the original slow cooker. They’ve been around for over 4 decades and are a beloved kitchen appliance in so many homes. I daresay it’s almost a required piece of kitchen equipment, especially for those of us with families and busy lives.
But did you know that they debuted originally as a simple bean cooker? I don’t eat beans so thank goodness they have so many other uses. I’ve made everything from tender rosemary garlic pork loin to keto chocolate cake in mine.
And, of course, they are ideal for comforting soups and stews, just like this coq au vin slow cooker recipe. I don’t know what I would do without my Crock-Pot!
Coq au Vin – rooster in wine sauce
The original Coq au Vin was a recipe for rendering the tough meat of a rooster into a tender, wine-braised stew. Of course, rooster isn’t available to very many of us these days. I wouldn’t have a clue where to procure such a thing.
Braising tough meat in wine for a long period of time truly has a magical tenderizing effect and is a common cooking technique around the world. I love using dry red wine for a winter stew like this, as it enhances the rich flavor of the final product.
And using a slow cooker simplifies the whole process. You still want to brown the chicken pieces in a hot skillet, as it gives it better texture, and color. Then the wine can be used to deglaze the pan so you don’t miss out on any of the wonderful browned bits.
After that, everything goes into the CrockPot together to cook and meld and come together in one delicious meal.
Reducing the carbs in Coq au Vin
This classic French dish is typically made with flour, carrots, and plenty of pearl onions. To make a more keto-friendly version, I subbed the carrots for some zucchini and red pepper, and kept the onions to a minimum.
And of course I skipped the flour altogether. Instead, I whisked in a bit of glucomannan at the end to thicken the sauce. It was absolutely perfect!
There you have it, friends. A classic comfort food dish made extra easy in the classic CrockPot. One taste and you will be declaring this Keto Coq au Vin a classic in your house too!
Easy Coq au Vin
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- 6 ounces mushrooms quartered or sliced
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup dry red wine
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 small zucchini cut lengthwise and slices ½ inch thick
- Half medium red pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon glucomannan or xanthan gum optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon transfer the bacon to the slow cooker, and remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan.
- Pat the chicken dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes, to brown the skin. Transfer to the crockpot.
- Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Cook 2 minutes to reduce.
- Whisk in the broth and tomato paste. Pour the sauce with the vegetables over the chicken in the slow cooker. Add the thyme sprigs and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. In the last half hour of cooking, add the zucchini and peppers.
- For a thicker sauce, remove about ½ cup of the broth from the slow cooker after cooking. Whisk in the glucomannan or xanthan gum, then add back into the slow cooker and stir to mix with the remaining sauce.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Dana says
This is a delicious, easy version of Coq au Vin. Definitely will keep this in my dinner rotation!
April says
This was amazing! Juicy, tender and flavorful – a huge hit in our house!
Alicia Kreisberg says
I have a couple of questions; 1. Can you use a whole chicken rather than just the chicken thighs? 2. Do you add water to the glucomannan (make a slurry) before whisking it in?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
No need to make a slurry. You can use whatever chicken you want but it needs to be in pieces, not whole.
Maureen says
Excellent recipe! Easy to make and so flavorful!
Kathy Cooke says
OMG, so good! I fried the bacon and mushrooms separately to keep them from getting soggy and added them in at the end. I used pinot noir for the wine. I cooked it in a Le Creuset dutch oven on the stove; I used the ingredients mentioned, but Julia Child’s stovetop method, and it was amazing.
Alicia says
Can this be frozen?
Carolyn says
No idea, since I didn’t try. I am sure it would be fine.
Terry Marks says
I love chicken thighs and usually eat 2. Would this work as well cooking without the skin and reducing the bacon by half to reduce the fat and calories?
Carolyn says
Probably. As I have not tested it that way, I can’t say for sure.
Alice says
I just made this for dinner. It was really good. My husband isn’t a mushroom or zucchini guy, but he complimented it twice and went back for seconds.
Carolyn says
I am so happy to hear that!
Sandra says
Took chicken thighs out of the freezer the minute I saw this recipe yesterday and just finished dinner tonight….WONDERFUL! All my slow cooker recipes are for 8-10hr cooking times so I appreciated being able to start prepping later in the day for this. My house smelled divine…and this is the perfect keto meal for families “divided”–enjoyed by all keto and nonketo alike! Even though there were plenty of veggies (peppers, zucchinis, mushrooms), I still served it with a bit of mashed cauliflower (yay!) and mashed potatoes (nay!). side note: I seem to be using glucomannan with more success lately for thickening than xanthan gum…the sauce was rich and the perfect consistency.
Amanda says
Thank you! I haven’t made this one yet but it looks great, and like the flavors will pair together really well. Love a dish that is mostly hands-off and you’re not spending hours in the kitchen. Thank you again for bringing great low carb mains and sides, even though I know they don’t attract the same amount of fervor as your desserts. I appreciate the use of the cooking wine. I have their white and their red on hand for these types of recipes; I don’t drink that much and hate wasting a bottle of wine when I don’t need that much for a recipe. I appreciate all of the ways you try to help make this WOE and healthy lifestyles in general sustainable. Have a great weekend!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Amanda. Holland House is ideal for having on hand for cooking, I agree!
LMS says
You have most likely eaten “rooster” many times and just didn’t realize it. Chicken is labeled and sold based on age, not sex. Unless you are raising your own meat and/or egg production chickens, you won’t run into full grown tough stringy roosters. Coq au vin (Cock or Rooster in wine) is a country way of cooking up a tough full grown roster. The wine helps to tenderize the meat and make it taste better as well since an older rooster is often a bit gamey tasting. Pretty much every rural country has a similar recipe. An old laying hen that has stoped laying works well in Coq au vin. I have often used turnips or rutabagas in place of potatoes. Depended on what the garden produced that year.
Barbara Owen says
I was wondering if I could use a stew hen! Thank you for your comment. I will also add turnip or rutabaga.