My version of an old-fashioned French recipe, with a little corner cutting. If you ever come across an old, tough chicken, this is the place to use it; increase the cooking time as necessary until the bird becomes tender. If you use one of our typical chickens, it’s actually a pretty quick recipe to prepare. Use a decent but not too expensive red wine. Pearl onions are quite nice here, even frozen ones. If you start with fresh ones, however, which are best, drop them into boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds to make peeling (much) easier. The French would serve crusty bread with this, and you couldn’t do any better.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the bacon in a large deep skillet that will hold the chicken and has a lid. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Add the onions and chicken, skin side down, and brown the chicken well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary, about 10 minutes. About halfway through the browning, add the garlic and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Pour or spoon off any excess fat and add the stock and wine, along with the herbs. Adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently but steadily. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. (If you like, you can remove the breast pieces, which will finish cooking first, and keep them warm while the leg pieces remain.) Transfer the chicken to a platter and keep warm. Remove the garlic, bay leaves, and herb sprigs and discard.
Step 3
Add the mushrooms to the remaining liquid and turn the heat to high. Boil as quickly as you can until the mixture is reduced by about three fourths and becomes fairly thick and saucy. Lower the heat, stir in the butter, and return the chicken to the pan, just to reheat a bit and coat with the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then garnish with parsley and serve.
