Coq au vin Chef Pappa style

My Coq au vin is different from the classic one you see in many cookbooks. Most important difference is that I do not use red wine in the recipe but white wine. In my opinion, the white wine pairs better with the chicken. Red wine in such a slow pot dominates the total taste. However, with strong tasting recipes as Boeuf Bourgionne or Goulash, red wine is the best liquid to use.
I also do not use the full chicken but only the chicken thighs. Slow pots with whole chicken always suffer from overcooked and dry breast meat, while the rest of the chicken is perfectly cooked. Same with slow pots with only breast: dry pieces of meat. The thighs, because of the higher fat content, stays juicy and moist, even after long cooking.
What do you need for Cocq au vine Chef Pappa Style?

• 1 pound of chicken thighs, cut in cubes.
• 1 cube of chicken stock powder (you could use chicken stock of chicken broth, but that throws off the amount off liquid you have left; so when you use a liquid, reduce the sauce lightly. You reduce by taking the lid of the pot for the last 30 minutes of cooking)
• onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped finely
• lardons (strips of good bacon)
• mushrooms, slices in small strips.
• white wine (the cooking variety. You won't taste the difference anyway)
  

Firstly, season the chicken cubes with salt and pepper and brown the pieces in a skillet with a little butter. (Yes butter, it will add another dimension to the taste). Meanwhile, fry the onion, bacon, garlic, lardons and mushrooms in your favorite Dutch oven or other pot for slow cooking. When the chicken is golden brown, add to the Dutch oven. Deglace the chicken skillet with the wine whine (the white wine is the only liquid in the recipe, so make sure you add enough...) The deglacing is to ensure all the chicken pieces and drippings still in the skillet make it into the final concoction. Now is the last time you will be able to check the seasoning. If you need more salt and/or pepper, add it in now.
Add the chicken stock powder and simmer for at least 45 minutes. After 45 minutes the alcohol is completely cooked out and the resulting taste is rich and complex.
Now you are done with the cooking. However, with all the butter, chicken fat and bacon, it is quite fatty. Best is too cool the coq au vin in the fridge. The fat will form a layer on the top, which is very easy to skim off. After skimming, you have a wonderful tasty and very lean coq au vin.
If you think the coq au vin is too thin, you can thicken the sauce with a little corn starch or arrowroot powder.
We always eat this with white rice and a simple salad.
Bon Appetit!
Note: you can vary the ingredients a lot. Most of the time start the vegetables with a mirapoix (1 part chopped celery, 2 parts chopped onion and 1 part chopped carrot ), and I add red bell pepper to the veggies. Another suggestions is white pearl onions, and wild mushrooms like cremini or shitaki. The possibilities are endless.