Braised chicken breasts

I took an advanced knife skills class at the California Culinary Academy over the weekend. Making this dish gave me an opportunity to use some of my new knife skills, including deboning chicken breasts and chopping vegetables to a uniform size. This is my version of Coq au Vin.

Braised Chicken Breasts
Serves 2

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 sprigs of parsley
3 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
2 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
1 medium shallot, minced
2/3 cup of carrot, small dice
1 and 1/2 cups of cremini mushrooms, medium dice
4 cloves of roasted garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup of red wine
salt and pepper

Make a bouquet garni out of the parsley, thyme and bay leaf by placing the herbs in a square of cheesecloth and tying the cheesecloth into a bundle with kitchen twine. Heat a dutch oven or other pot with a lid over medium heat. Add the bacon, cook until browned. Remove the bacon and drain it on paper towels, set aside. Drain all but 2 teaspoons of bacon fat from the pan. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Brown each side of the chicken in the pan. Place the chicken breasts on a plate and set aside. Add shallot, carrots, mushrooms and roasted garlic to the pot. Cook until shallots are translucent and carrots are tender. Stir in the tomato paste and flour, cook for about 1 minute. Add the wine, chicken stock and bouquet garni to the pot. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until chicken breasts are cooked through. Remove and discard herb bundle, stir in bacon. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.