Ingredients
- 3 lb skin-on, bone-in chicken legs
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups red wine (preferably Burgundy or another dry red wine)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 4 oz bacon, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 8 oz button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1½ teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 8 oz pearl onions, peeled
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to one day.
- In a Dutch oven or large pot set over medium heat, cook the bacon until browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, reserving the fat in the Dutch oven.
- Remove the chicken from the wine marinade and pat dry with paper towels, reserving the marinade. Heat the bacon fat in the Dutch oven over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for about 4 more minutes until brown on the other side. (If needed, work in batches, adding a little olive oil if the bacon fat runs out.) Transfer the seared chicken to a plate.
- Add the diced onion, carrot, and mushrooms to the Dutch oven and season with salt. Cook until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the reserved marinade and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid by half, skimming off foam as it appears.
- Add the chicken, pearl onions, and half of the bacon. The liquid should just cover the chicken; if not, add a little water or chicken stock. Cover and simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender, about 1 hour. Uncover, transfer the chicken to a plate, and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Whisk the flour and butter together into a smooth paste. Stir the beurre manié into the stew to thicken. Continue to simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 more minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Return the chicken to the Dutch oven and simmer until warmed through, no more than 5 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with the remaining bacon and chopped parsley.
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