Instant Pot Coq au Vin - One Pot Meal

Yes! I do still have my instant pot! I've been experimenting for the last few months, working on some delicious and easy recipes. This is one of the "one pot" meals that I came up with, where you will make the entire meal in the Instant Pot! There are a few super easy steps and in an hour or so, you will have a rich Coq au Vin, along with a vegetable and a side dish. So great, right? Getting one of the accessory kits for the Instant Pot really helps with these one pot meals, but you can definitely MacGyver it using whatever you have on hand. Also, if you want to leave out the parnsip puree, you can just cook the chicken and serve it with any side you like.

I will be posting the Instant Pot recipes without my usual travel information...but most of them do still have roots in one of my favorite traveled to places. I hope you enjoy! (P.S. Don't be afraid of your Instant Pot! It's your friend!)

The first step is to cook the diced bacon on the saute setting until just crisp, about 5 minutes, then remove it to a paper towel lined plate.

Next, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and brown on both sides in the bacon fat. This should take just a few minutes on each side and the bacon fat gives the chicken another layer of flavor. Once the chicken is browned, stir in the garlic, onions and tomato paste and let it cook with the chicken for one minute, until fragrant. Add in the red wine, brandy (or more red wine), bay leaves, thyme, brussel's sprouts, cooked bacon and mushrooms and give a stir. Season to taste with a bit more salt and pepper and turn off the pot. You can add any sturdy vegetable along with the mushrooms and brussel's sprouts, Kale would be good here too!

Place the egg holder (or whatever you are using to raise the parsips above the chicken) into the pot. Put the cut up parsnips and garlic into the steamer pan (or one of the other accessory pans or just a steamer rack for any pot) on top of the chicken and veggies. Season the parsnips with salt and pepper.

Put the top on the Instant Pot and make sure to secure it by turning it clockwise, until it locks into place. Set the venting dial on the top to "Sealing". Press the manual cook button and set to 15 minutes. The pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure, then the clock will start to count down the 15 minutes of cook time. When the timer goes off, let the pot sit and release pressure naturally, for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, carefully turn the venting dial to "venting" and let the rest of the pressure release, being careful to keep your fingers and hands away from the steam that will come out. Once all the steam is released, turn off the Instant Pot and open the lid. Take out the basket with the parsnips. Cover to keep warm. The chicken will be so tender and infused with flavor from the wine, you'll be instantly transported to the aromatic vineyards of France. Also, these parsnips are a glorious accompaniment to the chicken and veggies, but you could substitute cauliflower or potatoes.

If you want to thicken the sauce a bit, mix the butter with the arrowroot (or cornstarch) to make a paste. Remove the chicken and veggies to a bowl and cover to keep warm. Fish out the thyme stems and bay leaves and toss those in the trash. Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting. Add in the butter mixture and stir to combine. Let the sauce come to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened, stirring frequently. Add the chicken and veggies back into the sauce and keep warm while you whip the parsnips.

Put the warm parsnips and garlic into a blender (I used my Nutribullet, which is so fast!) Add in one tablespoon of butter and a splash of cream and whip until creamy and smooth. You could also just mash them in a bowl.

Serve the Coq au Vin with the whipped parsnips. There you have your entire dinner cooked in one pot! Protein-check! Veggies-check! Starch-check!, A meal in a pot! Happy days!

Instant Pot Coq au Vin - One Pot Meal

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless and patted dry (2 lbs)

• 6 oz chopped bacon (about 1 cup)

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup pearl onions, peeled (can use frozen)

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 8 oz brussels sprouts, cut in half

• 8 oz mushrooms, quartered

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2 cups red wine

• ½ cup brandy (or red wine)

• 2 tablespoon softened butter

• 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch

• 3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1” pieces (or 2 cups cauliflower florets)

• 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Instant Pot accessories kit with steamer and egg holder or pot in pot accessory pan

Directions

Set Instant Pot to sauté setting. When the pot is hot, sauté bacon until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes, and remove to paper towel lined plate.

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and brown on both side in bacon fat, a few minutes on each side. Stir in the garlic, onion and tomato paste and cook for one minute. Add the brussels sprouts, mushrooms, bay leaves, 2 sprigs thyme, cooked bacon, red wine and brandy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the Instant Pot.

In the Instant Pot steamer basket or steamer of choice, place the parsnips (or cauliflower) and garlic cloves in a single layer. Use the tall egg holder from the accessory kit, placed in the pot as a trivet (or anything that will raise the steamer above the chicken and vegetables) and place the steamer in the pot, sitting above the chicken.

Put the top on the pot and set the pot to manual cook for 15 minutes. Make sure you have the vent setting to “sealing”.The pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure and then start to cook. Once the cooking time is up, let the pot natural release for another 15 minutes. Next, set the vent dial to “venting” until the steam is completely released, being careful of the steam coming out of the vent. When the steam finishes venting, open the lid and remove the steamer basket.

Put the parsnips and garlic in a bowl and cover to keep warm. Remove the chicken and veggies and cover to keep warm. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaves and discard.

Set the Instant Pot to sauté again and bring the sauce to a boil. Meanwhile, mix the softened butter with the arrowroot powder or cornstarch. When the sauce comes to a boil, add in the butter mixture, stirring constantly until thickened. Add back in the chicken and veggies and set the pot to warm.

Mash the parsnips (or cauliflower) and garlic cloves (and add in butter or cream or both, to taste, if desired). Season with salt and pepper.

Serve Coq au Vin with parsnip or cauliflower mash.

SPECIAL DIET INFORMATION

Lectin Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low Carb