Coq au Vin (Stew)

Ingredients

• 4 lb Free-range chicken
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 oz slab bacon, cut into lardons (diced)
• 24 pearl onions, peeled
• 2 cups button mushrooms, quartered
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and pepper

Preparing the Stew

1. Remove breasts and legs from chicken; cut legs in half, leaving skin on. Heat 1 tbsp of the butter and oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add lardoons; cook until almost browned. Add pearl onions; cook until onions and bacon are lightly browned. With slotted spoon, remove lardoons and onions from pan to paper towel to remove excess grease, add mushrooms and brown lightly.

Return sauté pan to heat, season chicken, and lightly brown dark and white meat in batches. Add leg meat to a pot with bacon, onions, and mushrooms. Set white meat aside. Add flour to pan used to brown chicken, whisking to combine with drippings, if too dry more butter can be added to make a roux. Cook lightly for 2 minutes. Slowly add wine and stock, whisking constantly. Season, bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Strain over leg meat mixture. Add garlic; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add white meat; cook for 8 – 10 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

Finishing Chicken

The sauce should be very flavourful so it may be necessary to reduce it. Strain sauce into clean pot; keep chicken, bacon, mushrooms and onions warm. Over medium heat, reduce sauce until well flavoured and slightly thickened, adjust the seasoning to your taste. Return chicken and garnish to sauce; and heat through.

Serving the Chicken

Place portion of white and dark meat in a shallow bowl. Ladle some sauce and garnish over chicken.

*regular bacon can be used in place of slab bacon