Heat the butter and oil in a heavy skillet. Lightly flour the chicken pieces and brown them over medium-high heat, a few at a time, removing them to a large casserole as they are browned. In the fat remaining in the skillet, render the salt pork by cooking it until the fat has melted and the pieces of pork are brown and crisp. Add the mushrooms, shallots, onions, and carrots and toss them in the fat until they are lightly browned. Add them to the chicken pieces in the casserole.

In a small saucepan, heat the Cognac. Pour it over the chicken and vegetables and set it afire. Baste the chicken with the blazing Cognac until the flames have died down, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the wine and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. If the sauce seems too thin, thicken it with a beurre manié made of equal parts of butter and flour worked together with a fork and then dropped, bit by bit, into the simmering sauce.

Cook and drain the noodles. Make a bed of the cooked noodles on a heated platter. Arrange the chicken and vegetables on them, spoon on the sauce, and sprinkle everything with chopped parsley.

VARIATIONS:

If they are available in your part of the country, cut up 2 guinea hens. Test for tenderness. Follow the rule for the chicken.

Several kinds of game hens may be prepared the same way. Game hens should, if they are large, be cut in half. You will need 1/2 game hen per person. They will cook in approximately the same time after browning in the skillet. Quail will take less time but they are most satisfactory in flavor. Gauge at least 2 per person. Watch them very carefully lest they overcook.