Pollo al Vino Rosso (Chicken in Red Wine)

Method

1. Cut the chicken into pieces: separate legs, thighs, breasts, and wings.
2. Cut carrots, celery, and onion into large chunks.
3. Place the chicken pieces in a vacuum bag with half of the vegetables, garlic cloves, pepper, salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and enough red wine to cover. Seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight for a classic marinade).
4. After marinating, remove the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the wine from the bag.
5. In a large pot, heat a little olive oil and brown the pancetta until crispy. Remove and set aside.
6. In the same pot, add the remaining vegetables (and the garlic from the marinade) and brown lightly. Remove and set aside.
7. Lightly dust the chicken pieces with flour. Add a bit more oil to the pot and brown the chicken on all sides. Remove chicken.
8. Deglaze the pot with a splash of beef or chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits.
9. In a casserole dish, combine the browned chicken, pancetta, vegetables, mushrooms (cleaned and quartered), and the reserved marinade wine. Add enough broth to almost cover the solids. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Place a sheet of parchment paper directly on the surface and cover with a lid. Simmer on low heat for about one hour, until the chicken is tender.
11. Remove the parchment paper. Carefully take out the chicken pieces and remove any bones if desired (keep the meat in large pieces).
12. Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, pressing on the solids to extract all juices. Discard the solids.
13. Reduce the sauce over medium heat until it thickens to a glaze-like consistency.
14. Serve: arrange the chicken pieces on a plate with some of the vegetables (carrots, mushrooms, onion, pancetta). Spoon the reduced sauce over. Optionally, serve with mashed potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.