- 4
Ingredients
- 1 Stewing Chicken, 6 to 8 lbs, cut into serving pieces
- 6 ounces thick bacon, sliced into ½ inch pieces
- 2 dozen pearl onions, peeled (boil for a few minutes to easily peel)
- 8 ounces mushrooms
- Olive oil, or unsalted butter
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup Cognac (optional)
- 1 bottle (750ml) Burgundy wine
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- Bouquet garni (several springs each of parsley and thyme, a bay leaf, some celery leaves, sage and whatever is on hand tied in a bundle with twine or wrapped in a piece of cheesecloth
- 2 cups chicken stock reduced from 4 cups, or veal demi-glace
Preparation
Step 1
1. Wash and thoroughly pat dry chicken pieces. Place on paper towels, and bring to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole dish set over medium heat until brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Add the pearl onions to the pot, and sauté until soft and just golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and reserve. Add the mushrooms to the pot, replenishing the fat with the oil if needed. Sauté until soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the onions. Reserve.
3. Preheat the oven to 350o F. Season the chicken on all sides. Make sure there are 2 to 3 tablespoons fat remaining in the pot, and add more if needed. Add the chicken, and cook over medium-high heat in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Cook slowly; release the heat if the chicken is browning too quickly.
4. Add the Cognac to the pot, and ignite with a long match. The flames should burn out after 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and reserve.
5. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of the Burgundy. Add 2 tablespoons oil. When oil is hot, add the yellow onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and just golden about 8 minutes. Add the reserved chicken, bouquet garni, stock and remaining wine. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook in the oven until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours. (The meat should still be slightly firm, not falling off the bone.)
6. Remove the pot from the oven, and transfer the chicken to a platter. Cover with the foil to keep warm. Strain the sauce through a sieve set over a bowl, pressing out all the juices from the vegetables and bouquet garni. Discard the vegetables and herbs, and return the sauce to the pan. Reduce the sauce until it is thick enough to just coat the back of a wooden spoon. If it’s too thin, thicken the sauce by whisking in 1 tablespoon of softened butter mixed with 1 tablespoon of flour. Season, and add the reserved chicken, onions, bacon and mushrooms back to the pot. Heat thoroughly before serving.
7. Serve with steamed or mashed potatoes or broad buttered noodles, roasted carrots and a sprig of thyme as a garnish.