Coq au Vin II

Instructions

Season both sides of the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper, then dip them in the beaten eggs and set them aside. Put some flour in a large zip-top bag, add the chicken, and shake until every piece is coated.

Put the water and the salt pork in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Lift out the salt pork and leave the rendered fat in the pan.

Cook the pearl onions in the same pan until deeply browned, then remove them. Brown the chicken on both sides in the same fat, in batches if the pan is crowded, and move the pieces to a 7 to 8 quart enameled Dutch oven. Store the onions and salt pork together in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Pour the leftover fat out of the skillet and deglaze it with 1 cup of the wine, scraping up the browned bits. Pour this into the Dutch oven with the remaining ingredients, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, heat the oven to 325 °F. Cook the pot in the oven for 2 to 2½ hours, stirring now and then and keeping the liquid at a very gentle simmer, until the chicken is tender.

Transfer the chicken to a heatproof container, cover it, and keep it warm in the oven. Strain the sauce through a colander and discard the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and bay leaves.

Return the sauce to the pot and reduce it by half over medium heat. Stir in the reserved salt pork and pearl onions and heat them through, then take the pot off the heat and add the chicken. Serve warm, over hot egg noodles if you like.