Crock Pot Coq Au Vin

A variation on the classic French dish.

• Ready In: 30 hrs
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 -5  lbs chicken (or just thighs)
• 1 1⁄2 liters red wine (Burgundy is best)
• 2  bay leaves
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 2  garlic cloves
• 8  ounces bacon
•  olive oil or  butter
• 10  frozen pearl onions
• 8  ounces button mushrooms
• 2  carrots
• 1  tablespoon tomato paste
• 2  tablespoons cornstarch
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Peel and slice garlic cloves. Cut chicken into pieces, or use thighs. Put in large bowl with bay leaves, thyme, and garlic. Pour enough wine over chicken to cover. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator overnight.
2. Dice bacon. Fry until crisp. Remove to paper towel. Saute mushrooms in bacon drippings, adding oil or butter if needed, until they begin to brown.
3. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade. Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Brown chicken pieces in oil or butter, on all sides.
4. Peel and slice carrots into 1/2 inch pieces. Put onions and carrots in bottom of crock pot. Add chicken, mushrooms and bacon . Stir tomato paste into 2 cups of wine marinade (with garlic pieces and bay leaves) and pour over all. Discard remaining marinade. Cover and cook on low setting 6 hours.
5. Remove chicken to platter and keep warm. Stir cornstarch into 1/4 cup water and add to sauce. Turn to high and cook until thickened. (You may want to use more cornstarch, depending on how thick you want gravy.) Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken to pot and serve with mashed potatoes or rice.