This Hearty Instant Pot Coq Au Vin Blanc is a classic comfort food. A twist on the traditional Coq au Vin (which is made with red Burgundy wine), this pressure cooker recipe is made with dry white wine and pairs so well with heavenly Instant Pot mashed potatoes and parsnips.
[July 2018 Update: After receiving comments and suggestions from readers, I’ve recently tweaked this recipe. The quantity of liquid has been reduced from 4 cups total to 2 cups total. Cooking time has been reduced from 15 minutes to 12 minutes. Recipe has been tested with the changes!]
Tips and Substitutions
In addition to the white wine, I also use brandy to deglaze. But if you don’t have brandy on hand, just omit it and deglaze with white wine instead.
If you use homemade chicken broth (so easy to make in the Instant Pot), the taste is going to be even better. Here’s a chicken broth recipe from Pressure Cooking Today.
The part of this pressure cooker coq au vin recipe that takes time is the browning of the chicken pieces. You’ll have to do it in a couple of batches because you don’t want to overcrowd the meat, so it can take up to 20 minutes total.
But it’s totally worth it – browning seals in flavor and also produces the little brown bits that get incorporated into the stew to add tons of flavor.
If you need to, you can adjust the heat in ‘Saute’ mode. To do this, press ‘Saute’, then press ‘Adjust’ until the heat is at the desired level.
If the inner pot gets too hot while cooking any of the ingredients, turn off the Instant Pot for a couple of minutes until cooled down.
The dish is finished off with a butter and flour mixture to thicken it. Beurre manie (pronounced burr-man-yay) means ‘kneaded butter’ and is a technique used to thicken soups and stews.
I mix together butter and flour and drop it into the gravy, a teaspoon at a time. The butter melts and the flour thickens the dish with no clumps.
There are a couple of things you can do to make the dish healthier: use corn starch to thicken the stew instead of butter and flour, omit or reduce the quantity of bacon, use vegetable oil instead of bacon drippings to fry the chicken and vegetables.
I do have to point out that you’ll give up some flavor if you choose any of these alternatives.
One more thing I need to mention: be sure to wash the leeks very well. Leeks tend to have a lot of dirt between the layers. I like to discard the tough darkest green part, cut the remainder into quarters lengthwise, and then into small pieces.
I then place them in a bowl of water and use my hands to get the grit off. Once that’s done, I drain them in a fine mesh sieve and run water through it.
Instant Pot Coq au Vin really tastes wonderful when served with Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this Instant Pot Coq au Vin Blanc.
Instant Pot Coq au Vin Blanc Ingredients
Instant Pot Coq au Vin Blanc Step-by-step Instructions
- Press ‘Saute’ and cook bacon until crisp.
- Press ‘Cancel’.
- Remove bacon and set aside.
- (At any point in the cooking process, if the food browns too quickly or Instant Pot is getting too hot, press ‘Cancel’ until the Instant Pot cools down a bit and then press the ‘Saute’ button again. You can also adjust the heat level in ‘Saute’ mode by pressing the ‘Saute’ button followed by the ‘Adjust’ button until desired heat level is reached.)
- Pat chicken dry and rub with salt and pepper.
- Press ‘Saute’ and brown the chicken in batches. Remove and set aside.
- Saute mushrooms and set aside.
- Cook leeks and carrots till leeks are soft, about a minute.
- Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook till tomato paste begins to change color and/or begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn off Instant Pot by pressing ‘Cancel.’
- Deglaze with brandy, until almost evaporated, stirring often. (Press ‘Saute’ again if you need to.)
- Stir in chicken, wine, broth, pearl onions and thyme.
- Close Instant Pot.
- Make sure the steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘12’.
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 12 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- Do a Quick Release: move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the knob.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- While Chicken is cooking, make the beurre manie by mixing together softened butter and flour.
- Press ‘Saute’.
- Add in the reserved sauteed mushrooms.
- Drop the butter and flour mixture into the Instant Pot using a teaspoon.
- Stir the coq au vin and simmer until thickened.
- Press ‘Cancel’.
- Top each serving with bacon.
Hearty Instant Pot Coq au Vin Blanc
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs or drumsticks bone-in, skinless
- salt to taste
- black pepper powder to taste
- 4 bacon stripped - diced
- 2 cups leeks cleaned well and diced
- 1 1/2 cups baby carrots
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced or quartered
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth preferably homemade
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions
- 4 springs fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 3 Tbsp butter softened
- 5 tsp all purpose flour
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry, and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
- Select Saute and cook bacon until crisp. Press Cancel and remove bacon; set aside.
- Select Saute and brown the chicken in batches. Remove and set aside.
- Saute mushrooms and set aside.
- Cook leeks and carrots till leeks are soft, about 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook till tomato paste begins to change color and/or begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Press Cancel and deglaze with brandy, until almost evaporated, stirring often.
- Stir in chicken, wine, broth, pearl onions and thyme and close the Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes.
- While Chicken is cooking, mix together the softened butter and flour.
- Do a Quick Release of pressure and open the Instant Pot. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Stir in the sauteed mushrooms.
- Select Saute and drop the butter and flour mixture into the Instant Pot using a teaspoon.
- Stir the coq au vin and simmer until thickened. Press Cancel.
- Top each serving with bacon.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- If the Instant Pot gets too hot while sauteing the first set of ingredients, turn it off to cool it down every so often.
- Feel free to saute the mushrooms with the other vegetables and let them cook with the chicken. I've done this, and the mushrooms were not overcooked.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
You might also like to try these Instant Pot Recipes:
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips | Instant Pot Cream of Chicken Soup | Instant Pot Ratatouille |
Stephanie
Can I make this a day ahead in my instapot and reheat the next day on the stove in a Dutch oven?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Stephanie, I haven’t done that before. I feel it would taste best on the day it’s cooked, but I don’t see why you can’t reheat and still have good flavor.
Elaine
This is definitely a keeper. So delicious.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Elaine! It’s one of my family’s favorite winter recipes! Recently I’ve served it over polenta!
NWSnowolf
I loved this! It came out perfectly done and the chicken was so tender it fell off the bone and the flavors melded perfectly. Definitely adding this to my go to recipes.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for the comment – I’m really happy to hear you liked the recipe!
Jan
I followed the recipe exactly. Although it tasted good, it was a big mushy mess – nothing like the picture. Glad I tried it for ourselves before serving it to guests. The chicken should have been cooked before the veggies were added.
I will not make this again. I guess some dishes should not be made in an IP.
Very disappointing.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Jan, I’m sorry the recipe didn’t meet your expectations. Sounds like your chicken overcooked but I’m not sure what happened because I and many readers make this recipe and it isn’t mushy. Maybe the model of Instant Pot or the cut of chicken, the size of chicken? The veggies can be cooked separately if you want them crisper.
Aldo
Terrific, delicious, definitely a keeper!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Aldo, for taking the time to comment. I’m excited that you liked the recipe!
Joey
We have made this recipe twice now, and it has been fantastic both times.
We skip the brandy and add a bit more flour but follow the rest of the instructions to a T and put it over a bed of mashed potatoes.
Thank you! this will be a monthly recipe for us moving forward.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Joey, thank you so much for sharing. I’m really glad to hear you like the recipe and it worked well for you 🙂
David
Great recipe! I had to improvise the seasoning since I thought I had thyme until I started cooking. I will definitely make this again, but I would reduce the amount of flour as it was a bit too thick for my taste. Thank you for posting.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi David, Thanks for your comment; glad you liked the recipe. You can also add a bit more liquid and make it less thick.
David
Great recipe! I had to adjust the seasonings since I thought I had thyme but I could not find it when I started cooking. I love the thickening tip, but I would reduce the amount of flour the next time I make it, as it was a bit too thick for my taste. I will definitely make it again. Thank you for posting!
Karen A
I read the instructions a few times, but I do not see when to add the leeks and carrots. Do you add with the wine and broth, or after with the mushrooms?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Karen, the leeks and carrots are added in step 5 of the recipe card. After the mushrooms.
Zach
A lot of effort for mediocre results. Way too watery and not very flavourful, even after adding more seasoning.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m sorry it didn’t meet your expectations, Zach. I think a few other readers have halved the quantity of liquid and been happy with it, in case you decide to try again.
Deb Correia
Made this last night. It’s definitely labor intensive, but so rich and yummy! I replaced the white wine with red, and I didn’t have brandy, so I used some balsamic vinegar. I followed the advice on a couple of the comments and reduced the liquid to 2 cups total (1 cup broth and 1 cup wine). After thickening (with cornstarch), it was still a stew, but I loved it! Delicious!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Deb, for me the most effort comes with the browning of the chicken pieces, in order to get a nice browning. I have it on my list to try this recipe out again with less liquid, and once I do I’ll possibly update the recipe to account for this. Thank you very much for your comment!
Carmela
I normally make this in a pan and its great. Tried it in the IP tonight….i am going to agree with the person below….i found it too much liquid…chicken came off bone so presentation was more stew like and mushy….great taste…
SKH338 says:
November 12, 2017 at 1:41 am
Very tasty. I had to make several adjustments, though. The most significant was cutting the broth and wine by half. 2 cups of each is too much liquid. With just 1 cup of each I got an appropriate amount of liquid to make gravy at the end. I couldn’t find fresh thyme today, so about a teaspoon of dried herbs de provence worked fine. I also added in the mushrooms with everything else rather than stirring them in at the end. That was fine, no loss in texture and the mushrooms add a lot of flavor.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Carmela, thanks for taking the time to comment. I think of coq au vin as being a stew, and I like to mop up the liquid with a hunk of French bread 🙂 I’ve not felt that it was TOO liquid-y especially after adding the beurre manie. That being said, I will make it again soon and make sure I didn’t make a typo! Glad you liked the flavor, though.
Ella
For a more traditional cow au Vin can I just put red wine instead of white?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Ella – I don’t see why not. I say go for it. I’d love it if you can report back with your experience.
Peter
Made this tonight and my wife gave it a thumbs up. that says a lot. Great recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Peter – I’m so glad she liked it. Thanks for commenting and letting me know!
Danielle
This sounds delicious! I do not have an instant pot (yet), but it seems I could just make this on the stove, or perhaps the slow cooker, as well. The flavors sound great!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks Danielle! Yes, you can make it on the stovetop. Never tried the slow cooker, but that should work too.
Lindsay Wilner
Thank you for the background notes on this iconic French dish. I admire how you weave this type of narrative into your directions and tips for the recipe. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! A must-try dish on a cold evening, at a candle lit table, surrounded by friends and family.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you Lindsay. It really is a wonderful dish and especially so on a cold evening!