Slow cooked... Coq au Vin

Lounging around at home on a public holiday, the weather being cool and overcast, and having just acquired a slow cooker, I thought what better thing to do then test it out and let it cook me a lovely rich, classically French braise.

Ingredients
5 pieces of short-cut rind-less bacon

2 large onions cut into chunks (or lots of baby onions)
8 chicken wings
4 garlic clovesSalt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs massel chicken stock powder

1 cup water1 bottle red wine (I used a 2009 De Bortoli Durif)
3 bay leaves

1/3 cup flour

Salt and pepper
20g butter

5 large sprigs fresh thyme

500g or 3 cups button mushrooms

Chop bacon and onions then fry in a hot pan for a few minutes, then set aside in a slow cooker.

Combine flour with some salt and fresh cracked pepper, toss together with the chicken to coat. Place chicken, skin side down, in hot fry pan with a little butter. Brown the chicken then remove and set aside in the slow cooker with the onions.
Fry mushrooms until they begin to turn golden then add to the chicken along with the thyme, bay leaves, chopped garlic and red wine.

Turn on the slow cooker, set to medium heat and cook for 4-6 hours.

Although I didn’t have any at the time, garnish with parsley, and serve with boiled potatoes or sweet potato and steamed green beans.