Coq au Riesling

Directions

1. 1
   1.
2. 2
   Chop bacon into small chunks, and fry over medium high heat in a Dutch oven until almost crispy, around 12 minutes.
3. 3
   In the meantime, chop up the onion and leeks and mince the garlic.
4. 4
   (Note: Discard the dark green part of the leeks and make sure to wash them thoroughly as grit hides between the layers.)
5. 5
   2.
6. 6
   When the bacon is starting to get crispy, add the onion, leeks and garlic, and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables are getting tender.
7. 7
   Season the vegetables with salt and pepper as they cook.
8. 8
   3.
9. 9
   Trim the chicken thighs of fat and pat them dry with a paper towel.
10. 10
    Season them generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
11. 11
    Add them to the Dutch oven, moving the vegetables aside and on top of the chicken so that the thighs are touching as much of the bottom of the pot as possible.
12. 12
    Brown them thoroughly, about 6 minutes on each side.
13. 13
    4.
14. 14
    Add the mushrooms, stir them in evenly, and cook for another 3 minutes.
15. 15
    5.
16. 16
    Add the bay leaves, 5 whole sprigs of thyme, and the bottle of wine.
17. 17
    6.
18. 18
    Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.
19. 19
    7.
20. 20
    Uncover the pot and simmer for another 15 minutes, shredding the chicken with two forks (just do this in the pot) and adjusting seasoning to taste.
21. 21
    Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs before serving.
22. 22
    8.
23. 23
    Serve over rice or noodles, with fresh thyme from the remaining 5 sprigs sprinkled on top.