Chicken in Wine (Coq Au Vin)

Dice the bacon. Peel the shallot and cut into wedges. Rinse the chicken thoroughly and pat dry. Cut into 8 pieces. Pour the oil into a hot roasting pan and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Brown the chicken on all sides in the bacon drippings. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shallots and cook briefly and sprinkle with flour. Deglaze with the brandy. Pour in the red wine and the broth, partially cover and simmer gently over low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add some more broth.

Peel the garlic and combine with the pepper and bay leaf in a spice bag and place in the stew during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Spread the thyme sprigs on top and simmer.

Trim the mushrooms and leave whole or halve depending on the size. Rinse the parsley, shake dry, pluck off the leaves and finely chop. Saute the mushrooms in hot butter in a pan for 1-2 minutes.

Just before serving, remove the spice bag from the stew and add the mushrooms and the bacon to the coq au vin.