Description
A delicious classic French Chicken Stew in a succulent red wine broth, with cremini mushrooms, carrots and herbs. Gluten-free adaptable.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 4 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut into small pieces
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, cut into quarters or thick slices
- 8 ounces pearl onions or use shallots cut into 1/4 inch slices (or use both!)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, dried
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 1 –1 1/2 teaspoons salt, season to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or use tapioca starch for gluten-free with only 1 tablespoon of butter)
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes, with crusty bread and a green salad.
Instructions
- Dry the chicken with paper towels or a washable kitchen cloth. Season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cook the chopped pancetta or bacon over medium heat, until brown and starting to crisp. Remove bacon, drain any excess grease.
- In a large dutch oven, brown the chicken in a single layer, in a tablespoon of the bacon fat, over medium-high heat, until the skins are golden brown and crispy about 5-8 minutes per side. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon or tongs, from the pot and set aside. Drain and save the oil, leaving just enough to cook the mushrooms.
- Saute the mushrooms over medium heat, and stir until lightly softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Saute onions over medium heat, adding more of the drained oil if needed, until tender and roasty and starting to brown 5-8 minutes, remove and set aside with the mushrooms. The pan may start to get crusty with stuck little bits but these will all add flavor and lift off as the liquid gets added.
- Add garlic and saute for a minute. Now add 1/2 of the bacon and all of the chicken pieces back in the pot along with the red wine, cognac, chicken broth, tomato paste, dijon, balsamic vinegar, fresh and dried thyme, bay leaves, carrots, salt, and pepper. Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350F degrees. The stew should be bubbly and carrots tender.
- In a bowl mix together softened butter and flour until a smooth paste is formed. Remove the stew from the oven and set the pot on a burner to simmer. Add mushrooms and onions. Push the chicken and veggies to one side and use a whisk to incorporate the flour mixture into the stock then stir around the chicken redistributing the ingredients evenly in the pan. Simmer on low heat, for 8- 10 minutes until thickened and luscious. Garnish with the remaining bacon and fresh parsley.
Serve over mashed potatoes or wide noodles with crusty bread.
Notes
You are going to get a lot more flavor by sauteing the veggies separately. Yes, you could shortcut and add raw to the stew but it gets watery and loses some of the depth of flavor. Another alternative would be to roast the onions, mushrooms, and carrots in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes.
For prepping ahead you can mix all the liquids together (red wine, cognac, chicken broth, tomato paste, dijon mustard, balsamic) in a pourable container.
Searing with the skin on the chicken gives flavor and browns better, but use skinless if desired.
Store leftovers in the fridge for 4 days in a sealed airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece of chicken + 1 cup broth & veggies
- Calories: 418
- Sugar: 6.6 g
- Sodium: 536.6 mg
- Fat: 8.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.2 g
- Fiber: 3.5 g
- Protein: 56.6 g
- Cholesterol: 175.5 mg