The night before serving put the pieces of chicken in a large dish. Add half of the carrot rounds and all of the onion strips to the dish, along with the thyme, the bay leaf and the peppercorns. Pour the wine over the chicken and cover the dish. Put in the refrigerator over night.

The next day remove the pieces of chicken and the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside on 2 separate plates. Sieve the marinade. Heat the oil in a large cast iron casserole dish. Fry the pieces of chicken in it in several batches until golden. Add the reserved vegetables and the crushed cloves of garlic to the dish, brown them well. Return the chicken to the dish along with the reserved marinade and add 1 tablespoon salt. Stir, bring to the boil, then cover. Let it simmer over a low heat for 1 to 2 hours depending on the age of the chicken. When completely cooked through turn off the heat and let the broth cool somewhat.

Peel the pearl onions and cut the mushrooms in half. Cut the bacon into 1-inch strips. Fry the bacon strips until crisp. Remove them to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Add the onions and the mushrooms to the bacon fat and cook until golden.

Remove the chicken pieces to a plate taking care to leave the very tender pieces intact. Strain the remaining liquid pressing down on the solids to get as much flavor out as possible. Discard the solids. Return the chicken and the strained broth to the dish. Season to taste. Add the pearl onion, mushrooms, celery pieces and the remaining carrots. Cook over medium heat until the carrots and celery are barely cooked through about 20 minutes, adjust seasoning a touch of red wine vinegar may be needed. Garnish with parsley and serve warm with crusty bread.