- 8
Ingredients
- 4 oz lean bacon
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 lb chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 pepper
- 1/4 cup cognac
- 3 cups full bodied red wine (such as Burgundy, Cotes du Rhone or Chianti)
- 1 - 2 cups beef bouillon
- 1/2 tsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves mashed garlic
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 12 to 24 brown-braised onions
- 1/2 lb sauteed mushrooms
- salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp softened butter
- Sprigs of fresh parsley
Preparation
Step 1
Cut bacon into 1/4"x 1" pieces. Simmer for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water. Rinse in cold water and dry. Saute bacon slowly in hot butter until very lightly browned (temperature of 260F for an electric skillet). Remove to a side dish.
Dry chicken thoroughly. Brown in hot fat in the casserole (360F for the electric skillet). Season chicken. Cover and cook slowly at 300F for 10 minutes, turning once. Uncover and pour in cognac. Averting your face, ignite cognac with a lighted match. Shake casserole back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside.
Pour wine into casserole. Add just enough bouillon to cover the chicken. Stir in tomato paste, garlic and herbs. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when meat is pricked with a fork. Remove chicken to a side dish.
While chicken is cooking, prepare onions and mushrooms as desired.
Simmer chicken, cooking liquid in the casserole for a minute or two, skimming off fat. Then raise heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 1/4 cups. Adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf.
Blend butter and flour into a smooth paste. Beat paste into the hot liquid with a wire whip. Bring to a simmer, stirring an simmer for a minute or two. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
Arrange chicken in the casserole, place mushrooms and onions around it, and baste with sauce. If dish is not to be served immediately, film top of the sauce with stock or dot with small pieces of butter. Set aside uncovered. It can now wait indefinitely.
Shortly before serving, bring to a simmer, basting chicken with sauce. Cover and simmer slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, until chicken is hot through. Serve from the casserole, or arrange on a hot platter. Decorate with sprigs of parsley.