Overnight-marinated coq au vin

Ingredients

• 4 chicken legs and 1 pound of ground chicken, or 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 1.5 liters of Pinot Noir (2 bottles)
• 200 g of flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 medium onion, cut into quarters
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into quarters
• 2 carrots, cut into quarters
• 170 g of salted pork belly or smoked bacon, diced
• 12 sprigs of thyme
• 5 sprigs of rosemary
• 7 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 480 ml of chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 24 to 30 small onions, peeled and kept whole

Generously season the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Dip them in the beaten eggs and set aside.

Place the flour in a large freezer bag, add the chicken, and shake to coat it evenly.

Pour the water into a cast iron frying pan with the bacon, and heat over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon, reserving the fat.

Heat the small onions in the same frying pan until golden brown, then remove them. Brown the chicken on both sides, if necessary, and transfer it to a 7-liter enamel casserole dish. Keep the onions and bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Remove any remaining fat. Deglaze the pan with 240 ml of wine. Pour the wine into the pan with the remaining ingredients and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 165 °C.

Place the chicken in the oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until it is cooked through, maintaining a very low temperature and turning it occasionally.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and place it in a heat-proof container. Cover and keep it warm in the oven. Strain the sauce through a colander, discarding the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and bay leaf. Return the sauce to the pot and simmer over medium heat until it has reduced by half.

Once the sauce has thickened, add the bacon and small onions and heat through. Remove from the heat, add the chicken, and serve hot, over egg noodles if desired.