Matt's Country Chicken Fricassee

Country Chicken Fricassee
1 Whole Chicken, cut into "20 pieces" with bones

1 large onion, diced large

3 carrots, diced large

3 stalks celery, diced large

1/2 bottle of wine

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp red pepper flake

salt

pepper

28 oz canned chicken stock

Serve over rice or noodles

First you open the bottle of wine and pour yourself a glass. Take a healthy sip.

Take the chicken and using a sharp knife take out the backbone. Start at the side of the neckbone and cut down towards the tail. Do both sides to get the entire backbone out. Then with the breast down on the cutting board, push the chicken hard in order to break through the underside of the breast and use your knife to cut through the rest of the way to the white cartilage. Next turn the chicken breast side up and cut off the legs, then halve them at the joint. Take the wings off. Take a large cleaver and separate the two breasts and then quarter each one. This is "20 pieces". Salt and pepper the pieces.

Finish your glass of wine and pour another.

Turn a dutch oven or other thick bottomed pot onto medium high and once hot, put about a tblsp of oil into it and sautee the chicken pieces until browned all over, rotating about three to five minutes. Do it in two batches so that you don't lose the heat and steam the chicken instead of sauteeing till brown. Remove browned pieces to a plate. Add the vegetables to the pot and sautee about 5-10 minutes on medium high until they are starting to have translucent onions. Add some salt and pepper and red pepper flake.

Take a sip of wine.

When the veges are done add the half bottle of wine and reduce the liquid until you are almost dry again and then add the chicken pieces and chicken stock (the stock should be just covering the chicken, if not then just add some water to cover it up). Bring to a simmer and put the lid on, simmering for an hour. When the hour is finished, use some flour and cold water (1:1 about a 1/4 cup each mixed well in a bowl) to thicken to the amount you would like.

More wine and serve over some rice or egg noodles.

Enjoy,

Matt

PS. This is NOT a fricassee chicken, but it's fun! Dancing Beer Can Chicken by Matt!