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MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1 bottle (225 ml) red wine

1 onion, cut into 1-inch dice

1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 celery rib, cut 1/2-inch slices

4 whole cloves

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

1 bouquet garni (1 sprig of flat parsley, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme and 1 bay leaf, tied together with string)

1 (3-1/2 pound) chicken, trimmed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons softened butter, divided

1/4 pound slab of country bacon, cut into small oblongs about 1/4 by 1 inch

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 pound small, white button mushrooms,

stems removed

12 pearl onions, peeled

Pinch of sugar

The day before you begin to cook, combine the wine, diced onion, sliced carrot, celery, cloves, peppercorns and bouquet garni in a large deep bowl. Add the chicken and submerge it in the liquid so that all of it is covered. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the chicken from the marinade, pat it dry and put it aside. Strain the marinade through a fine strainer, reserving the liquids and solids separately. Season the chicken with salt and pepper inside and out. In a large dutch oven, heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter until almost smoking, and then sear the chicken, turning with the tongs to evenly brown the skin. Once browned, removed it from the pot and set it aside again.

Add the reserved onions, celery and carrot to the pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and mix well with the wooden spoon so that the vegetables are coated. Now stir in the reserved strained marinade. Put the chicken back in the pot, along with the bouquet garni. Cook for about 1 hour, 15 minutes over low heat.

While your chicken stews slowly in the pot, cook the bacon in the small saute pan over medium heat until golden brown. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels, making sure to keep about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan. Saute mushroom tops in the bacon fat until golden grown. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the pearl onions, pinch of sugar, pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons butter. Add enough water just to cover the onions, then cover the pan with parchment paper trimmed to the same size as your pan. (If you don't have parchment paper, aluminum foil can be substituted.)

Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until water has evaporated. (Watch carefully.) Remove the paper cover and continue to cook until onions are golden brown. Set onions aside and add remaining cup of red wine to the hot pan, scraping up all the fond on the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper and reduce over medium-high heat until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

When the chicken is cooked through until tender (the juice from the thigh will run clear when pricked) -- carefully remove the liquid, cut into quarters and arrange on the deep serving platter. Strain the cooking liquid (again) into the reduced red wine. Now add the bacon, mushrooms and pearl onions, adjust the salt and pepper and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour the sauce over chicken.

Serve with buttered noodles, if desired, and a Bourgogne Rouge.

From Les Halles Cookbook

Nutrition facts per serving: 958 calories, 53 g fat, 21 g saturated fat, 351 mg cholesterol, 12 g carbohydrates, 98 g protein, 805 mg sodium, 3 g fiber