Jugged Chicken

Pat chicken dry and dredge in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. In a heavy 12 inch skillet heat 4 Tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat until ripples just appear and brown chicken in 2 batches. As browned, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off fat and wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Add remaining oil, heat over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add sliced onions and cook, stirring until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, bay leaves and 1/3 of a cup of the wine. Cook, covered, over low heat, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves and set aside. In a small saucepan of boiling water, blanch the bacon 2 minutes and drain. Pat bacon dry and in a heavy 8 inch skillet, over moderate heat, cook it until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel. Pour off all the fat and add the rest of the wine. Boil until almost all of the wine is evaporated. Add stock and boil until liquid is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups. In a medium saucepan of boiling, salted water, blanch the potatoes for 5 minutes and transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add the white onions to the boiling water and blanch 3 minutes. Drain and add to the potatoes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/3 of the sliced onions in a 3 quart Dutch Oven or other heavy kettle and cover with half of the chicken, then half the whole onions and potatoes and half of the bacon. Spread half of the remaining sliced onions over the bacon and cover with the rest of the chicken. Cover this with the remaining whole onions and potatoes, bacon and the last of the sliced onions. Add broth mixture and drizzle with the brandy and port. Cover the Dutch oven with a double thickness of foil and lip, crimping foil tightly around the top. Bake chicken, undisturbed 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours, or until very tender. It is important that the lid be sealed tight throughout the long, slow baking.