Civet de Poulet
Instructions:
- This is a French stew (pronounced see-VAY duh poo-LAY) of thighs and gizzards. The trick is to cut the bacon, gizzards, onions, carrots, and prunes to exactly the same size—about 1â„2-inch pieces. Makes 6 to 8 servings
- 4 ounces thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 12 ounces chicken gizzards, trimmed of all visible fat and chopped
- 3 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 teaspoons stemmed thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1â„2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1â„2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose fl our
- 3 cups red wine
- 8 pitted prunes, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- Position the rack nearest the middle of the oven so that a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot can fi t inside; preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Fry the bacon in a large Dutch oven or ovensafe pot over medium heat until the fat renders from it, about 2 minutes.
- Add the gizzards and continue cooking, stirring often, until browned and the bacon is quite crisp, about 6 more minutes. Transfer the bacon and gizzards to a large plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
- Add the chicken thighs to the pot; brown on both sides, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes. Transfer them to the plate with the bacon and gizzards; set aside.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pot. Return it to medium heat; add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until aromatic and softened, about 4 minutes.
- Sprinkle the thyme, salt, allspice, and pepper over the vegetables; cook until quite aromatic, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle the fl our over everything, cook undisturbed for 15 seconds, then stir well and continue cooking for 15 more seconds.
- Pour in the wine and bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Cook just until the sauce thickens, less than 1 minute.
- Return the bacon, gizzards, and thighs to the pot. Stir in the prunes and tuck in the bay leaves. Bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Cover and bake until the thighs are quite tender and the meat is almost falling off the bone, stirring once in a while, about 11â„2 hours. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
- Variations:
- Add 8 ounces sliced mushrooms to the stew after you’ve cooked the onions and carrots; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- For a lighter dish, substitute white wine for the red wine. Even lighter still? Omit the bacon.
- For a heartier stew, add 2 turnips, peeled and chopped, and/or 3 parsnips, peeled and chopped, with the carrots. In this case, increase the wine to 31â„2 cups.