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Make Crockpot Chicken Merlot when you want a comforting, slow-cooked dinner that feels elegant yet effortless—tender chicken simmers in a rich blend of red wine, tomatoes, herbs, and vegetables, creating deep flavor without the need to stand over the stove.
Chicken Merlot is an Italian-inspired dish that’s rich, flavorful, and perfect any time of year. It’s similar to chicken cacciatore, with tender chicken slow-cooked in merlot wine, tomatoes, and herbs until it’s falling off the bone. The savory sauce is full of bold flavor and pairs perfectly with pasta, rice, or crusty bread. Whether you're cooking for family or guests, this dish feels special without being complicated.
What you need to Make Chicken Merlot
This recipe has a few more ingredients than most of my slow cooker recipes, but it really is a winner of a meal. The full recipe with ingredient amounts is in the recipe card below the images.
- Chicken: You'll need about 2–3 pounds of chicken drumsticks, which comes out to around 8 pieces.
- Sauce Ingredients: All you need is red wine (Merlot) and tomato sauce—the rest of the sauce develops from the chicken juices as it cooks.
- Veggies and More: This recipe is packed with vegetables! It includes onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Another key flavor boost comes from cooked bacon. Seasonings are adding to complete the dish.
How to make Chicken in Wine in a Crockpot:
Step ONE: Add the vegetables and seasonings to the slow cooker.
Step TWO: Cook the bacon in a skillet, remove and drain on paper towels.
Step THREE: Leave a few tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet, then brown the chicken in a skillet.
Step FOUR: Add the bacon, tomato sauce and wine to the slow cooker.
Step FIVE: Nestle in the chicken drumsticks.
Step SIX: Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
Variations
This recipe is wonderful as-is, but there is always room for change. Try one of these changes:
- You can use a red blend or cabernet wine instead of Merlot.
- Don't want wine at all? Use chicken broth instead.
- Add zucchini, bell peppers, or spinach toward the end of cooking for more color and nutrition.
- Boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs can be used instead of drumsticks.
How to Store:
This is the type of dish that only gets better as leftovers! Store in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for up to three months. Reheat in individual portions in the microwave.
More Italian Crockpot Recipes
Enjoy a hearty dinner with tender chicken and rich tomato sauce in this comforting Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore.
Serve up a cozy, flavorful meal with Crockpot Italian Meatloaf, packed with herbs, cheese, and marinara.
With caramelized onions and melted cheese, Crockpot French Onion Chicken brings bold flavor to every bite.
Warm up with a bowl of Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup, filled with tiny meatballs, pasta, and greens in a savory broth.
Pile juicy, seasoned meat onto crusty rolls to make delicious Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches for a crowd-pleasing meal.
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs. chicken drumsticks, (about 8 drumsticks)
- 8 oz. bacon, sliced before cooking
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 3 celery ribs, sliced
- 1 small white onion, diced
- ½ cup Merlot
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 1½ tsp. salt
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
- Add all of the vegetables and seasonings to the slow cooker.
- Set a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add the sliced bacon. Cook until crisp, then remove and drain on paper towels. Drain off most of the bacon grease (except about 2 tablespoons).
- Add the chicken drumsticks to pan and brown on both sides.
- Add the bacon to the slow cooker and add the wine and tomato sauce, stir.
- Nestle the drumsticks into the sauce and vegetables.
- Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
Sarah's Notes
- No other liquid is need in this recipe for the chicken will let of juices and create more of a sauce.
- Store in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for up the three months.
- You can use a red blend or cabernet wine instead of Merlot.
- Don't want wine at all? Use chicken broth instead.
- Add zucchini, bell peppers, or spinach toward the end of cooking for more color and nutrition.
- Boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs can be used instead of drumsticks.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
This was an incredible recipe! The flavor was out of this world. We left our in the slow cooker on low for extra hours to accommodate family. The only thing I would recommend differently is perhaps using thighs or tenders instead of drumsticks. In our case since we left it in the crock pot longer, the bones started to fall apart a little. We had some small bone pieces throughout. OR I would use drumsticks but then just remove the meat and remove the bones if you intended to have it cook a little longer.