Enjoy a country-style chicken dish

There’s a certain rustic simplicity to a good one-pot meal. You know, the type of meal you bring to the table in the vessel it was cooked in. All you need to do is add a loaf of country bread and some butter and the meal is complete. There is little more satisfying than sopping up the remnants of a good braise with some bread and washing it down with a savoury, country-style red wine. In a time when we can’t travel, the very thought of a meal like this has me thinking about southern French vineyards with scents of wild herbs in the air. If I can’t get on a plane to travel, then let me eat and drink my way there instead. Braised Chicken Serves 4 to 6 1 bottle red wine 1 onion, quarters 2 carrots, roughly chopped 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped 1 bay leaf 3 to 4 sprigs thyme 2 tbsp butter 150 g slab bacon, cubed 2 chicken legs 4 chicken thighs 2 shallots, sliced 15 button mushrooms Directions: Combine the wine, onion, half the carrots, celery, bay leaf and thyme in a large pan. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Strain and set aside. Place butter in the same pan over medium heat, add bacon and sauté until crispy. Remove and set aside. Dust chicken pieces with flour, season with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. Turn heat to medium-low and sauté the shallots and whole mushrooms until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Remove mushrooms and shallots and reserve. Pour the reserved wine back into the pan, add reserved chicken, reserved bacon and remaining carrot. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer. Let simmer for about an hour. Then add reserved shallots and mushrooms. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Serve with some crusty bread and your favourite bottle of red wine.