Uploaded May 2022 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
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The French name of this dish translates to “rooster in wine” – a stringy old rooster, who has lived a good long life and now will benefit from a good long cooking time. I expect finding an actual rooster is nearly impossible unless you raise your own chickens. Most people find it much easier to acquire thighs or leg-quarters than a whole bird. We use 4 legs for this recipe, but it will work for a whole bird (broken down) with minor adjustment.
For the best results, plan on cooking this a day before serving it. At the end of the cooking process the chicken pieces, pearl onions and new potatoes are removed from the broth, which is then allowed to cool or freeze, so that the fat may be skimmed off. The chicken pieces and potatoes may be stored separately or together. At this point the various components could even be vacuum-sealed and stored long-term to be finished within 6 months or so.
Generally, the stew broth is fine without additional thickening. Another option is to use braissage and optional wine or cognac to make a butter sauce. The technique requires some finesse, and a fair amount of cold butter, and is best reserved for truly special occasions. Butter sauce is difficult to bring back the next day if kept as a leftover.
Compose a nice plate by arranging some baby potatoes and pearl onions in the bottom of a wide serving bowl. Top with a piece of stewed chicken, some sauce or gravy, and chopped fresh fines herbes. Serve with some lovely crusty bread and soft butter on the side.
Makes enough for 4-8 people, 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick).
Equipment:
• Dutch oven or other covered cooking vessel suitable for fricassee
• non-stick skillet
• containers for broth, chicken pieces and potatoes to be stored in overnight.
Ingredients:
4 ea chicken legs thigh and drumstick separated
1/2 cup bacon lardons ~4 strips cut into matchsticks
1 ea shallot minced
1 ea onion small to medium; diced
1-2 cloves garlic
1 ea leek optional; white part only, sliced thin
3/4 lb pearl onions or small cippoline onions; ~16-20
1/2 lb baby potatoes the tiniest potatoes you can find
3/4 lb mushrooms quartered
1/4 cup cognac
5-10 stems thyme
1 ea bay leaf
2 cup red wine
2 cup chicken stock brown if possible
3 Tbsp flour plus more for optional dredging
1/4 lb butter at least
to taste salt, pepper, white wine, etc.
5-10 stems parsley or fines herbes chopped fine; garnish
Procedure:
1. Get the Dutch oven hot over a medium flame, and melt some butter in it with a little bit of high-temp cooking oil.
2. Optionally, dredge the pieces of chicken in flour.
3. Place chicken into the hot butter and allow it to cook until it browns and comes away from the pan easily. Avoid the temptation to use too hot a flame, which will cause the chicken to burn.
4. While the chicken cooks, chop the aromatic vegetables: (regular) onion, leek and shallot.
5. Once the chicken is done on its first side, turn it over and let it brown on the other side also.
6. Once the chicken has browned nicely on both sides, remove it to a plate, or possibly the pie tin (after setting aside the remaining flour for later use).
7. Place the chopped veg and the 3 Tbsp flour into the grease left behind by the chicken. If for some reason there isn’t much, add more butter.
8. Allow the veg to sweat over medium heat, with the lid on, about 5-10 minutes, until it is translucent and softening.
9. Add the wine, half the cognac and the stock and bring it to a simmer.
10.Place the chicken pieces and any juice which has collected into the simmering pot.
11.Cover and simmer for about an hour. This depends on the chicken pieces; if they’re very different in size they may need to go in at different times in order all to be done at the same time.
12.Add the baby potatoes and the pearl onions after the chicken has cooked for long enough that it will be done in about half an hour.
13.Let the pot simmer another 30 or so minutes.
14.Test a potato with a fork – it should be just yielding but not falling apart or mushy.
15.Remove the potatoes, pearl onions and the chicken pieces from the broth and let them cool, and store them separately from the broth.
16.Allow the broth to cool, and if possible to freeze, to make it easier to remove the fat.
17.When it comes time to serve, reheat the portions in some of the braissage: a thigh, 4-5 each of onions and carrot pieces, in a small saucepan with enough braissage to not-quite-cover.
18.Cut a proportional amount of the mushrooms into quarters and saute them in butter. Deglaze with some cognac.
19.Optionally make a gravy or butter sauce with the braissage, adding the potatoes and pearl onions to the sauce once it has come to the right consistency
20.Chop fines herbes for garnish.
21.Arrange the potatoes and pearl onions in the bottom of a bowl as described above, chicken atop veg, garnished with gravy, mushrooms and chopped herbs.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
Check out our Patreon: patreon.com/loveyourfood
The French name of this dish translates to “rooster in wine” – a stringy old rooster, who has lived a good long life and now will benefit from a good long cooking time. I expect finding an actual rooster is nearly impossible unless you raise your own chickens. Most people find it much easier to acquire thighs or leg-quarters than a whole bird. We use 4 legs for this recipe, but it will work for a whole bird (broken down) with minor adjustment.
For the best results, plan on cooking this a day before serving it. At the end of the cooking process the chicken pieces, pearl onions and new potatoes are removed from the broth, which is then allowed to cool or freeze, so that the fat may be skimmed off. The chicken pieces and potatoes may be stored separately or together. At this point the various components could even be vacuum-sealed and stored long-term to be finished within 6 months or so.
Generally, the stew broth is fine without additional thickening. Another option is to use braissage and optional wine or cognac to make a butter sauce. The technique requires some finesse, and a fair amount of cold butter, and is best reserved for truly special occasions. Butter sauce is difficult to bring back the next day if kept as a leftover.
Compose a nice plate by arranging some baby potatoes and pearl onions in the bottom of a wide serving bowl. Top with a piece of stewed chicken, some sauce or gravy, and chopped fresh fines herbes. Serve with some lovely crusty bread and soft butter on the side.
Makes enough for 4-8 people, 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick).
Equipment:
• Dutch oven or other covered cooking vessel suitable for fricassee
• non-stick skillet
• containers for broth, chicken pieces and potatoes to be stored in overnight.
Ingredients:
4 ea chicken legs thigh and drumstick separated
1/2 cup bacon lardons ~4 strips cut into matchsticks
1 ea shallot minced
1 ea onion small to medium; diced
1-2 cloves garlic
1 ea leek optional; white part only, sliced thin
3/4 lb pearl onions or small cippoline onions; ~16-20
1/2 lb baby potatoes the tiniest potatoes you can find
3/4 lb mushrooms quartered
1/4 cup cognac
5-10 stems thyme
1 ea bay leaf
2 cup red wine
2 cup chicken stock brown if possible
3 Tbsp flour plus more for optional dredging
1/4 lb butter at least
to taste salt, pepper, white wine, etc.
5-10 stems parsley or fines herbes chopped fine; garnish
Procedure:
1. Get the Dutch oven hot over a medium flame, and melt some butter in it with a little bit of high-temp cooking oil.
2. Optionally, dredge the pieces of chicken in flour.
3. Place chicken into the hot butter and allow it to cook until it browns and comes away from the pan easily. Avoid the temptation to use too hot a flame, which will cause the chicken to burn.
4. While the chicken cooks, chop the aromatic vegetables: (regular) onion, leek and shallot.
5. Once the chicken is done on its first side, turn it over and let it brown on the other side also.
6. Once the chicken has browned nicely on both sides, remove it to a plate, or possibly the pie tin (after setting aside the remaining flour for later use).
7. Place the chopped veg and the 3 Tbsp flour into the grease left behind by the chicken. If for some reason there isn’t much, add more butter.
8. Allow the veg to sweat over medium heat, with the lid on, about 5-10 minutes, until it is translucent and softening.
9. Add the wine, half the cognac and the stock and bring it to a simmer.
10.Place the chicken pieces and any juice which has collected into the simmering pot.
11.Cover and simmer for about an hour. This depends on the chicken pieces; if they’re very different in size they may need to go in at different times in order all to be done at the same time.
12.Add the baby potatoes and the pearl onions after the chicken has cooked for long enough that it will be done in about half an hour.
13.Let the pot simmer another 30 or so minutes.
14.Test a potato with a fork – it should be just yielding but not falling apart or mushy.
15.Remove the potatoes, pearl onions and the chicken pieces from the broth and let them cool, and store them separately from the broth.
16.Allow the broth to cool, and if possible to freeze, to make it easier to remove the fat.
17.When it comes time to serve, reheat the portions in some of the braissage: a thigh, 4-5 each of onions and carrot pieces, in a small saucepan with enough braissage to not-quite-cover.
18.Cut a proportional amount of the mushrooms into quarters and saute them in butter. Deglaze with some cognac.
19.Optionally make a gravy or butter sauce with the braissage, adding the potatoes and pearl onions to the sauce once it has come to the right consistency
20.Chop fines herbes for garnish.
21.Arrange the potatoes and pearl onions in the bottom of a bowl as described above, chicken atop veg, garnished with gravy, mushrooms and chopped herbs.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
