*Le Chef's Wife tip: La Mise en Place: always read the entire recipe fully before beginning to cook, and pre-chop your vegetables and meat before you turn the heat on. This simple tip has removed so much stress for me in the kitchen!

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. If you are starting with a whole chicken, break the chicken into pieces. Start by dislocating the legs (twist and they will pop out easily) and then cut off the wings from the base. Slice the breast meat away into two filets, leaving the skin on.
3. *Very important* Pat the skin dry with a paper towel. This will help it to get a nice sear.
4. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat drizzle the olive oil.
5. Once the olive oil begins to heat, add the chicken pieces, skin down.
6. Sear chicken pieces skin down over medium high heat until they become golden brown. You will likely need to do this in two batches. You don't want to crowd the chicken or it won't sear properly.
7. Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.
8. Use the rubber spatula to unstick the pieces leftover on the bottom of the pan - you will want those flavors in the sauce!
9. Bring the range down to medium heat and add the pork belly. Sautée until it browns.
10. Add the onions, garlic and sautée for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Use your rubber spatula to constantly scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the flavorful bits into the mixture.
11. Sprinkle over the sugar and add the butter. Stir
12. Once the onions are translucent (they will shine beautifully!), add in the chopped carrots and celery. Stir for a few minutes.
13. Then add in the mushrooms and stir gently until they soften.
14. Deglaze the pan with the dry vermouth and scrape the bottom with a spatula ( did I mention the brown bits is where all the flavor comes from?)
15. Pour in the chicken broth.
16. Add the bouqet garni and all of the wine. Bring back to a simmer.
17. Add in the Beurre Manié and stir. This is key for having a rich, unctuous sauce.
18. ​How to make Beurre Manié:
19. Beurre Manié (beurre manie) directly translates to "kneaded butter" and is an essential kitchen trick for thickening a sauce.
20. Made with equal parts softened butter and flour. Simply put 1 tbsp soft butter (not melted!) in a bowl with 1 tbsp flour and mix together with a fork until you create a pomade.
21. Braising the Coq au Vin Blanc:
22. Set chicken pieces back in the Dutch oven on top of the vegetable garnish.
23. Cook on the middle rack of your preheated oven, uncovered for two hours. (Why uncovered? The sauce reduces better!)
24. *If you are serving the dish with mashed potatoes - you will want to begin the mashed potatoes while the Coq au Vin is in the oven.
25. Check the chicken every half hour or so. Carefully move the pieces around so that each piece of chicken is covered with the sauce.
26. There should be a generous amount of liquid left in the pot, surrounding the chicken. Add more warmed chicken stock if you need to.
27. After the 2 hours are up, remove from the oven. Discard the bouqet garni.
28. Allow to rest for at least a half hour before serving.
29. This dish is also amazing the next day if you are preparing in advance.
30. Plating the Coq au Vin Blanc
31. You can choose to individually plate each serving, but I love bringing this impressive meal to the table in a serving dish and serving family style.
32. After the dish has rested, remove the Chicken Pieces from the dutch oven and place on a serving platter.
33. Ladle the sauce over the chicken pieces on the platter.

34. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.