Coq Au Vin

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

2. In a large pot, add oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and brown each side, about 10 minutes total.

3. Take the chicken out and set aside. Add bacon to the same pot and cook until crispy.

4. Then add the onion, celery and carrot. (Add mushrooms now if raw, later if canned.) Cook until lightly caramelized, 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally.

5. Now add the garlic (and mushrooms if canned), tomato paste and thyme. Stir together.

6. Add the wine to the pan (I have a gas burner so I turn it off when adding alcohol to avoid flames) and mix while scraping the bottom of the pan to get the good flavor bits off the bottom. Add the flour now as well, stirring well.

7. Return the chicken to the pan and add the bay leaf. Pour in the chicken broth, starting with one cup and add more as needed to cover the chicken. Heat until it returns to a boil.

8. Cover the pot and put it in the oven for 1 hour.

9. Remove the lid and bake for 15 minutes uncovered. Now is a good time to get the noodles started, cook according to package.

10. Everything is ready to go! Savor and enjoy.

Notes: If your sauce still seems thin after the last 15 minutes in the oven uncovered, remove the chicken and reduce it down on the stove for 5-10 minutes. When ready, turn the fire out and add the chicken back into the pan to warm them back up.