As much as truly loath the end of summer, I do have a soft spot in my heart for fall. Well, maybe not my heart, more like my stomach. Gone are the days where it is simply too hot to contemplate eating anything but things cooked on the grill, its time to fire up that oven! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about eating burgers, hot dogs and steaks, but after a while you're ready to dig in to a nice hearty stew or pasta. There is nothing better than slowly braising a pot of yummy meat and vegetables for half a day and then serving it over hot egg noodles, and fall is the perfect time to do this.
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6 oz. bacon, chopped
1 5-7 lb whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
1 bag frozen pearl onions
8 oz. button mushrooms, quartered
1-1/2 bottles red wine, preferably pinot noir
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 medium onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
2 carrots, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock or broth
Egg noodles or mashed potatoes for serving
Heat a large french oven (coquette) over medium-high heat. Cook bacon until crispy, remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, put chicken pieces in zip-top plastic bag with flour, season with salt and pepper. Seal bag and shake, completely coating the chicken.
Preheat oven to 325. Leave bacon fat in french oven on heat, add additional oil if needed. Brown chicken in hot oil on both sides. Remove from french oven to plate and set aside. Add additional oil if needed and brown (separately) pearl onions and then mushrooms. Remove pearl onions and mushrooms from french oven and put in refrigerator.
While the french oven is still over the heat pour in about 1 cup of red wine, scrape brown bits up from the bottom. Add remaining wine, chicken broth and tomato paste, stirring until paste is mostly dissolved. Add chicken, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Make sure that chicken is covered with the liquid (if not add more wine or broth). Cover and put in the oven. Cook for 2 - 2.5 hours or until the chicken is tender.
When the chicken is done, remove it to a heat-proof container and keep warm. Strain the sauce through a collander and return to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Reduce by 1/3, about 30 minuties (if sauce is still not thick go ahead and whisk in a little roux). When the sauce is thick add the mushrooms, onions and chicken back to the pot. When everything is hot your ready to serve, I recommend egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
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