Instant Pot Coq Au Vin a la Julia Child
Four and a half years ago we published our inaugural blog recipe and adaptation of Julia Child’s Coq Au Vin, 
which remains our most successful to date. Since then we’ve gathered quite a following and created a community around our desire to simplify cooking for the home cook.
This week we turn our attention back to our guiding principals on our Intentions page, published a month before the Coq Au Vin recipe, when we made this statement:
∞ We understand it’s practical to offer variations, and alternative ingredients, in recipes to allow flexibility and to encourage a healthy lifestyle.∞
That is why, for the past 6 months, I’ve been busy behind the scenes testing all of our spice blend recipes in my Instant Pot, the gadget getting all the attention right now. We first heard of the Instant Pot from a customer at the farmers market back in 2014. What the Crock Pot is to slow cooking, the Instant Pot is to pressure cooking. In the New York Times last weekend “Why do Cooks Love The Instant Pot? I Bought One to Find Out” sums up nicely why folks are rekindling old relationships or forging new ones with pressure cooking.
In a nutshell, the Instant Pot is “not your mother’s pressure cooker” but is a safe, electric, multi functional pressure cooker, with slow cooker and rice cooker functions included. A built in sauté function makes this truly a one pot process, so I can soften onions and garlic gently helping release the aromas and sugars, before adding the remaining ingredients and replacing the lid. The foundations to a good meal remain the same – building layers of flavor using good ingredients.
As with our approach to slow cooking, we see the Instant Pot through our lifestyle lens. When is your preferred prep time? It is perfect for overnight, afternoon or even early evening prep. How many people are you cooking for? From 5-8 quart capacity models, there is a size available for all households. What proteins do you typically eat? Succulent ribs fall off the bone in just 25 minutes, chicken breast poaches in 6, and cumin scented dried black beans are ready to top a vegetarian taco in 25!
It is our intention to be flexible and so when a recipe permits, we will offer an Instant Pot alternative which really has been tested alongside the slow cooked version and leave it up to you to decide which fits your lifestyle. Far from replacing my slow cooker, it has become my go-to alternative.
In honor of our favorite classic dinner party dish and our dining in community theme this month, we are offering a buy 2 get a Coq Au Vin blend free when you order online. This is great way to have guests over for dinner while freeing yourself up to chat and join them knowing that dinner is done.
The Instant Pot Coq Au Vin has a toothsome appeal which can be achieved in minutes. The chicken holds it’s texture and I found that using a French Côtes du Rhone was neither sweet nor bitter, producing a well rounded sauce. For our original slow cooker Coq Au Vin a la Julia Child visit our very first recipe here.
- 2lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs &/or legs
- 2 tbsp flour
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 slices thick bacon, cut into 1” cubes
- 12 baby onions, peeled
- 2 tsp / 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large sprig thyme (or a generous 1/2 tsp dried)*
- 1 tsp dried oregano*
- 1 bay leaf*
- 8oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup cognac *optional replace with additional 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 3/4 cup red wine (***
- fresh parsley, chopped
- * substitute dried herbs with our Coq Au Vin blend
- toss the chicken in the flour, salt and pepper to coat
- heat oil in the Instant Pot on sauté function medium and cook bacon for 3 minutes
- push bacon to one side of the Instant Pot and add the floured chicken to the pot
- brown chicken for 3 minutes, turning once
- stir in the baby onions, garlic, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, mushrooms, tomato paste, cognac, and red wine
- secure the Instant Pot lid and pressure valve to Sealing
- press the Manual button and adjust the cook time to 15 minutes
- turn the dial to Venting and use Quick Pressure Release (see notes below)
- *
- ** Total Cook Time: refers to the time from when you set the Instant Pot until the food is ready to eat and has completed either Quick Pressure Release (QPR) or Natural Pressure Release (NPR): includes time to reach pressure, cook time & release
- using QPR or NPR depends on what you are cooking. Avoid QPR with recipes that may produce foam (beans, rice, oatmeal) or when the pot is full of liquid such as soup because hot spray may be emitted at pressure from the valve. For big cuts of meat, consider NPR similar to allowing meat to rest after cooking.
- *** FAMILY FRIENDLY OPTION use 3/4 cup red wine + 1 cup chicken broth
“Just as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts are preferable choices over hamburgers, fried foods, and donuts, so too exist preferable nourishing foods for the soul. It does not matter how physically fit our bodies are if we do not have tranquility, peace, and harmony within our souls.”
-unknown
