This Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Coq au Vin is a classic French chicken stew made with chicken thighs, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and topped with bacon. You can make this slow-cooked favorite in a fraction of the time in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.

First of all, if you’re wondering how to say Coq au Vin—it’s “coco van.” But don’t let the fancy French name fool you. This dish is basically chicken (coq) cooked in a red wine sauce (vin) with vegetables and mushrooms. And it’s delicious.

Traditionally, you would simmer Coq au Vin on the stove or in the oven for hours. This pressure cooker twist on Coq au Vin gives you the same slow-cooked flavor with a 10 minute High Pressure cook time. I like to serve it over egg noodles, brown rice, or mashed potatoes.

Making Pressure Cooker Coq Au Vin in an Instant Pot

An Instant Pot is one of the most popular brands of electric pressure cookers. They are easy to use to create this delicious Instant Pot Coq Au Vin!

Should I use chicken breasts or thighs in Coq au Vin?

The first time I made this recipe I used chicken thighs, and the next time I didn’t have any chicken thighs on hand, so I used chicken breasts. Both my husband and I agree that it is better with chicken thighs, which cook up more tender and juicy.

Be sure your Instant Pot reads Hot before you add the bacon to the pot to brown. Don’t worry about browning the chicken completely, as long as you get a nice sear on one side of the chicken and have some nice browning on the bottom of the pan, you’re good. (This will help you cut down on the cook time.)

Use an instant-read thermometer to verify each chicken thigh or breast is at least 165°F in the thickest part after cooking.

Don’t crowd the pan when browning, or you’ll steam the chicken instead of browning it.

Do I have to cook the mushrooms?

Personally, I love the mushrooms in this dish. However, my family is divided into mushroom lovers and haters. When some of my picky kids are over, I don’t stir the mushrooms into the sauce. Instead, I add them to individual servings as desired.

This recipe calls for the white button mushrooms. However, if you love mushrooms, go ahead and use cremini in this recipe for a bolder mushroom flavor.

Also, you don’t have to cook the mushrooms in another pan. I prefer to cook the mushrooms separately to get perfectly caramelized mushrooms. But if you’re not as fussy about your mushrooms, you can saute them in the cooking pot before you fry the bacon.

(Every time I cook mushrooms I can’t help but think of Julia Child saying “don’t crowd the mushrooms.” This is just the kind of dish you’d find in a Julia Child cookbook.)

Update: This is a reader-favorite recipe. I’ve updated the post with new pictures, tips, and a video to show you how easy it is to make this Coq au Vin recipe in your electric pressure cooker.

I first came across this recipe in Martha Stewart’s Every Day Foods while I was reading an article and several recipes on pressure cooking, Every Day Foods Loves Pressure Cookers. I absolutely agree with what they say about pressure cookers:

Easy, speedy, and made in a single pot: That’s what we call a dinner triple threat. One way to achieve the mealtime trifecta is to use a pressure cooker, which utilizes steam and a tightly sealed lid to create a high-pressure environment that accelerates the cooking process. It’s like pressing fast-forward on your favorite dishes: Most can cook in a third of the time they would need in the oven or on the stove top. That means slow-cooked dishes, such as braised short ribs or pulled pork, are possible even on a weeknight.

Have you tried Coq au Vin before? Give it a shot and let me know how it goes in the comments section!

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Pressure Cooker Coq Au Vin

Yield: 6 servings

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup diced bacon
• 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, well trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup red wine (I used pinot noir)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 package (12 ounces) white mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoon cold water
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

Select Browning and add diced bacon to pressure cooker pot. Brown the bacon until crisp, stirring frequently. Remove bacon to a plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pot and brown on both sides in the bacon fat. Remove the chicken to a platter, leaving the fat in the pan.

Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the wine to deglaze the pot and let it almost completely evaporate to concentrate the flavor and remove most of the liquid.

Stir in the chicken broth, tomato paste, bay leaf , thyme and carrots.

Add the browned chicken to the pot, along with any juices that have collected on the platter. Cover pot and lock lid in place.

Select High Pressure and 10 minutes cook time. (It will take about 10 minutes to reach high pressure.)

While the chicken is cooking, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil and butter. When butter is melted, add the mushrooms and cook until golden. Season with salt and pepper.

When timer beeps, do a quick pressure release and remove the chicken from the pressure cooker pot to a serving dish.

Combine the cornstarch and water, whisking until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to the sauce in the pot stirring constantly. Select Simmer and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. After sauce thickens, add mushrooms and stir to coat with sauce.

Taste, adjust seasoning if desired. Combine sauce with chicken in the serving bowl. Serve topped with crumbled bacon and chopped parsley.

Notes

Serve over noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.