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1
Preheat the oven to 400.
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2
Pat the chicken legs dry and season with salt and pepper.
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3
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.
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4
Working in batches, cook the chicken legs over moderately high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
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5
Transfer the chicken to a large roasting pan.
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6
In the same skillet, cook the carrots, celery and onions over moderate heat until softened, about 8 minutes.
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7
Pour in the wine and stock and bring to a boil.
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8
Cook over high heat until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes.
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9
Pour the wine and vegetables over the chicken, cover the roasting pan with foil and braise in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, until the chicken is very tender.
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10
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan of boiling water, blanch the pearl onions until the skins begin to shrivel, about 30 seconds.
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11
Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool.
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12
Drain.
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13
Trim off the root ends and slip off the skins.
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14
In a very large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until the edges are golden but the bacon is still chewy, about 20 minutes.
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15
Drain the bacon on paper towels.
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16
Pour off all but 5 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
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17
Add the pearl onions, mushrooms and turnips to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until softened and slightly golden, about 10 minutes.
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18
Lower the oven temperature to 350.
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19
Transfer the chicken to a platter.
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20
Carefully strain the cooking liquid into a large saucepan, pressing hard on the vegetables; discard the vegetables.
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21
Boil the cooking liquid over high heat until thickened, about 15 minutes.
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22
Season with salt and pepper and stir in the thyme.
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23
Return the chicken to the roasting pan and add the bacon and vegetables from the skillet.
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24
Pour the thyme sauce on top, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is heated through and the vegetables are tender.
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25
Transfer the chicken to shallow bowls, spoon the bacon, vegetables and sauce on top and serve.
