Coq au vin

3 kg chicken pieces
Rice bran oil
45 g flour
800 ml chicken stock
185 g bacon
200 g white onions
20 g caster sugar
20 g butter
150 g button mushrooms
SIDS SALT & PEPPER to season
MARINADE:--
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
5 juniper berries
10 black peppercorns
1 whole clove
1 garlic clove
2 litres red dry wine
50 ml cognac
30 ml SIDS RASPBERRY VINEGAR
Bouquet Garni
CROUTONS:--
4 slices bread
½ tsp SIDS CRAZY SALT
1 tbsp parsley, chopped

MARINADE: Place all ingredients, including SIDS RASPBERRY VINEGAR and wine into a large, non-metallic bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Stir, then add chicken pieces, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Strain and retain the marinade and keep the vegetables & herbs. Preheat oven to 200°C.
Heat oil in a casserole dish and sauté chicken, skin side down first, until brown on all sides. Add the vegetable & herbs from the marinade then cook for 5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Pour off any excess fat. Sprinkle flour into the dish and mix well then add the reserved marinade, chicken stock and SIDS SALT & PEPPER. Cover and cook in oven for 45 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Turn oven down to low or off. Remove chicken, strain the sauce and skim off excess fat. Put chicken and sauce back into the casserole dish and put back into the oven.
Meanwhile, trim the rind off the bacon then fry in a little oil. Remove to drain on paper towels then cut into small pieces and set aside. Put onions, sugar and butter in a pan with just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer until all water has evaporated and onions are tender, adding a little more water if necessary. Glaze the onions in the pan by tossing in more butter & sugar and fry until golden. Fry mushrooms in butter then remove from pan and add to the chicken, along with the onions and bacon.
CROUTONS: Cut each slice of bread into 8 triangles and fry in the mushroom pan, adding more butter as required, until bread is golden brown.
Dip the tips of the croutons in the parsley and arrange over the dish.