Coq au Great Wall red

Note: Make sure to place the bacon in a cold pan before cooking or be prepared to wear the fat. You can use oyster or shiitake mushrooms or whatever large mushrooms you like.

Ingredients

3 slices of fatty bacon, chopped coarse

Large carrot, sliced thick

8-10 large mushrooms, sliced thick

Large yellow onion, chopped coarse

Garlic clove, chopped coarse

1/2 bottle of red wine

Whole chicken (about 1.5 kg)

1/2 cup of flour

Butter

For chicken broth:

Celery stalk

Large carrot

Large onion

Chicken bones and entrails

Method

1. Cut chicken into thighs, wings and breast. Halve the breast and dust pieces in mixture of flour and ample salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Make the broth by placing chicken scraps into a large pot. Add the onion (halved), carrot (halved) and celery stalk. Fill up with water until it brims over the pile. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for 45 minutes. Salt and pepper the broth.

3. Cook chopped bacon on low heat in a large pan. Cook until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.

4. Turn up heat to medium. Sear thighs, wings and breast in bacon fat and a pat of butter until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.

5. Add carrot slices, chopped onion, mushrooms and garlic and saut until onions are just about to brown. Return chicken and bacon to pan and pour enough wine to barely cover the ingredients. Add 3-4 ladles of broth and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the carrots are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Melt a tab of butter before serving.