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To Prepare Chicken: If using a whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces as follows: 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs + 2 breasts (halved). Reserve back & rib pieces for stock or another use. ~~ If using pre-cut chicken pieces, just divide the breasts & you are good to go. ~~ In either case, use paper towels to pat the cut pieces & remove any excess moisture.
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Place 3 tbsp of the flour + the salt & pepper in a lrg plastic bag, shake chicken pieces in it till lightly coated & set aside.
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Heat olive oil + 4 tbsp of the butter in a Dutch oven (or like-sized roaster pan). Add the diced bacon + onion & saute for 3-4 min, till the onions have browned lightly.
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Add mushrooms, saute for 2 min, remove the contents of the pan w/a slotted spoon & set aside.
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Add chicken pieces to the hot oil & cook till browned on all sides (about 5-6 min). Pour the Burgundy wine over the chicken & add the garlic, brown sugar & additional salt + pepper to taste pref.
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Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer for 1 hr, stirring occ.
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Return the reserved onions, mushrooms & bacon to the pan, cover again & cook for a further 30 minutes.
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Using a slotted spoon, lift out the chicken, vegetables + bacon, arrange on a warmed serving platter, remove & discard garlic & set aside.
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Boil the liquid rapidly for 2 min to reduce slightly. Cream the remaining 1 tbsp of flour + butter together & whisk in sml amts into the liquid till thickened slightly. Pour over the chicken, garnish w/parsley + croutons & serve immediately.
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NOTE #1: Splitting the breasts allows for more uniform cooking, but also allows for ea of the 4 portions to include a piece of dark meat + 1/4 of the breast meat. If you prefer to plate this dish as individual servings, divide the chicken in that manner & then add equal amts of the other ingredients + the sauce. Then add the 2 wing portions to the plates of those w/the heartiest appetite! :-).
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NOTE #2: For the sake of my DH who requires potatoes w/every meal, I listed 20 sml baby potatoes as an optional add during the final 30 min of the cooking time.
