A classic French chicken and wine stew.
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken (cut for sauté, or 8 pieces of chicken on the bone)
- 150 g smoked streaky bacon
- 8-10 pearl onions
- 1 large carrot
- 1 leek
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 garlic clove
- 50 g plain flour
- 30 ml brandy
- 1 bottle red wine
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 1 bunch thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 200 g button mushrooms
- seasoning
- freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
Method
- Begin by preparing your vegetables.
- Peel the pearl onions and leaving them whole set aside.
- Peel and cut the carrot into large pieces an inch or so squared. Wash and cut the celery and leek into large chunks.
- Peel and cut the garlic roughly into 4 pieces and set aside along with all the others.
- Now pre heat your oven to 160°C.
- Heat a large pan.
- Turn the chicken pieces in a bowl along with the flour and plenty of salt and pepper. Add a little oil to the pan and place the chicken in.
- Continue turning the chicken until it is golden brown all over.
- Remove the chicken and place it in a large casserole dish.
- Return the pan to the heat and add a little red wine to wash out all the flavors from the pan ('deglaze').
- After simmering for a minute or so pour over the chicken in the casserole dish.
- After cleaning the pan return to the heat and a little oil.
- Now fry the smoked bacon and add to the casserole.
- Return the pan to the heat once more but be sure to keep all the bacon fat in it.
- Now add the vegetables to the pan and continue to turn them over a high heat until they begin to colour.
- Now add the remaining wine to the pan and bring to the boil.
- Once it has boiled add all the vegetables and wine to the casserole.
- Now put the thyme and bay leaves into the casserole along with the chicken stock.
- Cover the casserole with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for one- and-a-half hours before removing the lid and continuing to cook for a further 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add the chopped parsley.
- Serve in the casserole dish along with some steamed or boiled buttered potatoes.
