Crockpot Coq au Vin

Bastille Day was on July 14th. I know all you Francophiles were aware of that, but for the rest of you, Bastille Day (France's Independence Day) has come and gone. You missed a perfectly good excuse to make French food.

I didn't miss Bastille Day. It almost snuck up on me, being so close to the return from our 3000 mile road trip, but I managed to celebrate it properly. Life's seemed a little crazy upon our turn thanks, in part to the addition of a puppy to our life, so I looked for a French recipe I could handle. I left Julia Child in the cabinet and turned to the internet instead.

There I found this: Coq au Vin. In a crockpot no less!! I decided that was my recipe for Bastille Day, along with the Fried Chile Peppers (which are supposedly a French recipe).

It turned out quite well and I will make it again. My kids weren't the best eaters that night, so I don't feel like I had a fair representation of their thoughts of it. They ate it but it didn't cause J to tell me "It's delicious!" or M to respond with "This has good flavor, Mommy." I served it over couscous (mostly because I realized very last minute that I had no starch for our meal).

Slow Cooker Coq au Vin
from the Knoxville (TN) Examiner (Newspaper)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 T butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 c (or less) water or chicken broth

6 T white wine

1 T flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 c tomatoes, diced

1 T fresh thyme (or 1 t. dried)

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and sear on each side until lightly browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside. Add garlic and onions to pan and cook until just softened. Add white wine to onions and garlic and stir to release chicken bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. In the slow cooker, whisk together water (or broth), flour, salt, and pepper until well blended. Stir onion and garlic mixture (with all the pan juices). Add tomatoes, thyme, and mushrooms and mix well. Lay the chicken breast (and any accumulated juices in dish) on top of the mixture. Cook on low for 3 -4 hours or high for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, until chicken is cooked through. To reduce the sauce before serving, remove the lid 20 minutes before serving.