Coq au Vin (who ever knew chicken could taste so good...maybe it has something to do with the bacon)

Serves 14 - so you might want to halve!

Materials:

Wine Cooking Sauce:

• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups dry red wine (use good quality - something you would drink yourself!)
• 1/4 cup brandy (apparently rum works just fine too!)
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh thyme and/or tarragon, minced
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrots, minced
• 1 rib celery, minced
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

Browning & Baking Chicken:

• 24 small chicken thighs (I'd go for boneless if possible)
  
• 1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

Onions, Mushroom & Baaaacon

• 39 small (pickling) onions - approx 10 oz. (or more)
• 1 lb. sliced bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch strips
• 30 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and halved if large (try finding tiny ones & leaving whole)

Garnish

• Chopped fresh parsley

Methods

Sauce:

1. Combine all ingredients for sauce in a sauce pot and simmer 15-20min
2. Strain sauce and set aside

Browning & Baking Chicken:

1. Heat oven to 375o
2. Wash chicken pieces & pat dry thoroughly.
3. Heat vegetable oil in large frying pan for frying chicken.
4. Lightly flour chicken (just before fryin- don't do all at once), shake off excess flour.
5. Brown chicken in over medium to high heat. Do not overcrowd pan; work in batches and add more oil if needed.
6. Move the chicken into two large oven proof pans or pots - I use glass/pyrex baking dishes (save frying pan for later).
7. Pour hot wine sauce over chicken.
8. Add extra wine and/or stock if necessary to bring liquid halfway up the side of the chicken.
9. Bake a total of 45min. at 375o without lid

Onions & Mushrooms (& Baaaacon)

1. Prepare during the time chicken in baking
2. Briefly blanch onions in large pot of boiling water - drain and peel as soon as cooled
3. Cook bacon until crisp in pan from chicken
4. Remove bacon bits to paper towel with slotted spoon.
5. Remove all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease from the pan.
6. Add onions and brown over high heat until well carmelized.
7. Add mushroom halves and saute 2-3 min more.
8. Add the onions, mushrooms & bacon to the chicken for last 15 minutes of bake time.

Serve

1. Garnish chicken with parsley
2. Excellent served with boiled potatoes tossed with butter & herbs and salad