Fricasseed Chicken with Bay Leaves

Mara Martin and her husband Maurizio, owners of the restaurant Da Fiore in Venice, dispense what may be some of the most ethereal, purest seafood cooking in Europe. What their patrons don’t know is that Mara has a secret life. At home, for her family and friends, she cooks bold, earthy meat dishes. The chicken recipe below is one of them.

The foundation for the particularly spirited flavor of this chicken is t