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Bouquet Garni Chicken in Wine Sauce

Crock Pot cooking was extremely popular back in the late 1970's and early 1980's. In the past few years there has been a resurgence in preparing meals with crock pots, as people discover they can often start their meal before going in to work and let it slowly cook all day. There is nothing like coming home, opening the front door and being greeted by the aroma of a hearty meal. For a complete meal all that needs to be done is to throw together a quick salad or steam some fresh vegetables to serve along side the crock pot creation.

This dish is sometimes called Coq au Vin, which is French for chicken with wine. This recipe makes a hearty chicken stew which tastes great served on top of a bed of rice, pasta or potatoes. The pearl onions used in this recipe should be no larger than the size of a large grape. If you are having problems finding pearl onions in the produce section of your grocery store, you may substitute a 9 ounce package of frozen pearl onions in cream sauce. If you are using the frozen onions, be sure to thaw them out before adding them to the crock pot.

Ingredients for the Crock Pot Chicken
1 pound chicken breasts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces ham steak - diced
30 pearl onions - peeled and left whole
1 cup carrots - peeled and sliced
1 cup celery - chopped
1 bouquet garni bundle (see instructions below)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup red wine
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons corn starch

Directions for the Crock Pot Chicken

1. Remove the tendons and any fat from the chicken breasts.

2. Cut the chicken into 2" cubes and dredge each piece in the flour.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the flour coated chicken pieces.

4. Cook the chicken until just cooked through and no longer pink.

5. Remove the chicken from the heat and add to the crock pot.

6. Add the ham, onions, carrots, celery, bouquet garni, chicken broth and red wine to the crock pot.

7. Stir all ingredients until blended and place the lid on top of the crock pot.

8. Cook on the lowest setting for 6 hours or on the medium setting for 4 hours.

9. Remove the bouquet garni and discard.

10. In a small bowl make a paste of the water and corn starch.

11. Add the paste to the crock pot, mix well and replace the lid.

12. Cook for an additional 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Bouquet Garni
Bouquet garni, which means bundle of herbs, is a mixture of bay, parsley, tarragon and thyme. Fresh herbs are usually utilized when making a bouquet garni but dried will work fine if that is all you have access to. Bunches of these fresh herbs are placed together and tied into a small bundle with string or twine. The bundles are placed into the cooking liquid of your recipe where they release their aromatic and fragrant qualities to your meal. The herb bundle is removed and discarded prior to serving. Bouquet garni is a traditional flavoring to add to soups, stews and sauces.

If using fresh herbs:
1 bay leaf
2 stems parsley
1 stem tarragon
3 stems thyme

If using dried herbs:
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon parsley
2 teaspoons tarragon
1 tablespoon thyme

Tie up the dried herbs in a double layer of cheese cloth so they may be easily removed and discarded from your dish prior to serving.

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