Coq Au Vin

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chickens
• 2 cups non-fat chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ pound bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 pound medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch lengths
• ¾ pound shallots, peeled
• 15 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped or whole
• 2 pounds white mushrooms with stems removed and quartered
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups full-bodied dry red wine
• ¼ cup cognac
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon red currant jelly
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Cut chicken into quarters. Remove backbones and wing tips. Reserve.
2. Place chicken broth in large saucepan with reserved backs and wing tips. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Strain the broth and reserve.
3. Place olive oil in a large, heavy oven-proof casserole. Over medium heat, add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until the fat is rendered and the edges start to brown. Remove bacon to a paper towel with a slotted spoon Brown the chicken in small batches, about 4 minutes on each side, then set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 375°
5. Add carrots and shallots to the casserole and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until they just begin to brown. Stir in chopped garlic and cook 5 minutes longer. Add butter and mushrooms to the vegetables and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the vegetables with cornstarch and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer. Add reserved broth, wine and cognac to vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes longer or until the sauce thickens slightly, scraping bottom occasionally to loosen browned bits.
7. Add tomato paste, red currant jelly, brown sugar, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Add reserved chicken and bacon to the sauce. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender, stirring occasionally. If Sauce is not thick enough, remove chicken and vegetables from sauce. Mix 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch and â…“ cup water. Add this mixture slowly to the sauce, stirring continuously until sauce thickens. Return chicken and vegetables to sauce and fold in 4 tablespoons of parsley. Serve hot, sprinkled with remaining parsley.
Serves 8.