Steps

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, toss the chicken, onion, and carrot with the flour, salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Heat a large, oven-proof pot over medium flame. Add the bacon and sauté until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
3. Sauté the mushrooms in the bacon fat until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
4. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, to the pot and brown on both sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.
5. Add the onions and carrots and sauté until lightly browned.
6. Add back the browned chicken pieces, wine, garlic, parsley, basil, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then cover and place in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
7. While the chicken is cooking drop the pearl onions into a pot of boiling water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cool water and peel by popping the onions out of their skins.
8. Remove the chicken from the oven. Place the chicken pieces and vegetables into a serving dish and hold warm. Add the reserved mushrooms and pearl onions to the liquid in the pot and simmer on the stovetop until heated through. Stir in the brandy and bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and serve immediately.

Notes

While white wine is usually served with chicken, this classic French country dish commonly uses red wine. Originally a tough, older male bird, or coq, was used, and the long, slow braising made for a tender dish. The commercial chickens available today allow for a shorter cooking time, albeit with a sacrifice of flavor.