Recipe

This classic French family dish features chicken braised to tenderness with pearl onions, mushrooms, red wine, and broth, resulting in a rich and complex flavor. While the braising takes time, the prep work can be highly efficient. Your Geedel hand vegetable chopper quickly prepares the vegetable base (Mirepoix) and helps create the thickening roux, streamlining the entire preparation process.

Ingredients:  

- 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 6 chicken legs/breasts)  

- 150g bacon, cut into strips  

- 200g pearl onions (or 1 regular onion, chopped)  

- 250g mushrooms, halved  

- 2 carrots  

- 2 celery stalks  

- 1 onion (for Mirepoix)  

- 2 garlic cloves, minced  

- 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (e.g., Burgundy)  

- 2 cups chicken broth  

- 2 tbsp tomato paste  

- 2 tbsp flour + 2 tbsp softened butter (for beurre manié)  

- Fresh thyme, bay leaves, salt, black pepper  

- Parsley, chopped (for garnish)  

Instructions:  

1. Prep the vegetable base and sear:

   Chop carrots, celery, and one onion into chunks. Attach the chopping blade to the Geedel manual vegetable chopper and process into uniform small dice to make the Mirepoix.  

   In a heavy pot, fry the bacon until crisp; set aside. In the bacon fat, sear the chicken pieces until golden brown; set aside.  

2. Sauté and braise:  

   In the same pot, sauté the Mirepoix until softened. Add tomato paste and minced garlic; cook for 1–2 minutes.  

   Sprinkle in flour and stir for 2 minutes. Gradually pour in red wine and broth, stirring until smooth.  

   Return the chicken and bacon to the pot. Add thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.  

3. Finish with beurre manié:  

   In the last 30 minutes, add pearl onions and mushrooms. Once cooking is complete, remove the chicken and vegetables; keep warm.  

   Switch to the mixing paddle in the Geedel container. Combine softened butter and 2 tbsp flour by turning the handle to form a smooth paste (beurre manié).  

   Whisk the paste bit by bit into the simmering sauce until thickened and glossy.  

4. Serve:

   Plate the chicken and vegetables, ladle the sauce over, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread.  

Summary:  

This famous French dish embodies the art of slow braising. The Geedel chopper plays a key role in prep—quickly providing a standard vegetable flavor base and helping to create a professional beurre manié for thickening the sauce—allowing you to focus on the braising process and flavor development.