| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 3 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- 4 ounces good bacon or pancetta, diced
- 1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut in 8ths
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1/4 cup Cognac or good brandy
- 1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine such as Burgundy
- 1 cup good chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 10 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 pound frozen small whole onions
- 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.
- Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.
- Add the carrots, onions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.
- Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot.
Reviews
Barefoot Contessa has improved the recipe to make it easy for a week nite. I had no trouble throwing this together with quality ingredients on a Tuesday night. Quartered chicken is best, as I did thighs once and it wasn’t enough variety. I like the steps here as they save a lot of time putting this together for the oven. Top buttery mashed potatoes with this!
Delicious!
I have a question—for 6 may I simply double the recipe? thank you!
Solid base recipe and technique. Like any stew, we all have our additions and such. I like to use only dark meat and also roast off a few sweet orange peppers sliced in strips, baby potatoes and portabellos (sliced and halved for more substantial chew) on a hotel sheet instead of sauteing. Not a fan of roux in general. Just add a handful or two of orzo for the same result without the raw flour taste risk. Same with chili. Also add frozen peas with the frozen pearls.
I made this a couple of days ago and followed the recipe exactly. Absolutely wonderful. Delicious. We all loved it. Wish I had known about it sooner.
Absolutely delicious! Followed the directions as they were written and it came out perfect! Thank you Ina, for another fabulous dish!
I made this recipe last week and was delighted with the results! In my opinion, the level is Intermediate due to the number of steps. I varied the process somewhat, I cut the breasts in half with kitchen shears to match the thighs, sprinkled both with salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence, and roasted them on two parchment-lined pans at 400 degrees for 20 minutes to give color and flavor. Then I added the browned bacon together with all the ingredients but the butter and flour to a crockpot with 1T Herbes de Provence. I omitted the cognac and used 1/4 bottle of wine with 11/2c chicken bone broth. I set for 30′ on high then 8 hours on low. Then I added the flour and butter mixture and simmered on low for 30′. It was fabulous! I plan to serve this for our Christmas Party after de-boneing for ease of serving. I am a huge fan of Ina Garten and use her recipes often.
Delicious! Wow! Wouldn’t change a thing!
I’ve made this twice now. I add a touch more cognac, use a nice wine, and at least double the garlic. I think the key is to let it simmer for quite a bit, especially because of the flour that is added at the end. Oh, and I used the whole bundle of thyme. It was delicious.
Delicious, Ina never disappoints.