Champagne - Browned Butter Chicken

When my son came home with a bottle of champagne and gave it to me, I did not know how I would use it ( since I do not drink). I kept it, hoping that I would come across a recipe that made use of it. This recipe from the October 2012 issue of "Cooking Light" was just the thing I was looking for! Make sure you have a little time to prepare this recipe. It will take at least 2 hours from start to finish. I did slightly adapt this recipe to use ingredients I had on hand.

Serves 6 ( 12 points +)

• 2 slices center cut bacon
• 2/3 c. all purpose flour ( you will not use all of this)
• 6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
• 6 bone-in drumsticks, skin removed
• salt and pepper
• 2 T. canola oil
• 1 lb. red-skinned potatoes, quartered
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 c. champagne or white wine
• 4 shallots, halved
• 3/4 c. fat-free chicken broth
• 1 T. black peppercorns
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp. dried parsley
• 6 medium carrots, sliced
• 3 T. butter
• 1 tsp. flour

Preheat oven to 350.
Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Reserve bacon for another use.
Place 2/3 c. flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
Increase heat to medium-high and add 1T. canola oil to pan. Place half of the chicken in the pan and brown on both sides. Remove, add remaining 1 T. oil and the rest of the chicken to pan. Brown chicken and then remove.
Add potatoes to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook 3 minutes. Stir in white wine and cook until nearly evaporated.
Return chicken to pan. Add shallots and broth. Bring to a boil. Add carrots, peppercorns, parsley, bay leaf and thyme. Place pan in oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 -1-1/2 hours or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
Remove chicken and vegetables from pan. Place pan over medium-high heat. Add champagne and bring to a boil, stirring to remove browned bits. Cook until mixture reduces to about 2/3 c. ( 10-11 minutes)
Melt butter in a saucepan, cooking until lightly browned. Stir in 1 tsp. flour.
Gradually whisk butter mixture into champagne mixture. Cook about 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.