CHICKEN WITH FORTY CLOVES OF GARLIC
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Chicken
Cuisine: French
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
  • 3½-pound chicken thighs with skin on
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1½ cups dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons Cognac (optional)
Instructions
  1. Peel 40 cloves of garlic (about 3 whole heads), or you can buy them already peeled. Ina's trick is to separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel.
  2. Dry chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
  3. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a baking sheet or a plate and continue to cook all the chicken in batches. Do not crowd the chicken, they will be steamed and not browned. Move the last chicken to a baking sheet (or a plate).
  4. Add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Move the garlic to a plate. If there is too much fat, scoop some out and discard. I like to leave about 3 tablespoons in the pot.
  5. Add the wine and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the chicken and garlic into the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the low heat for about 30 minutes.
  6. Move the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
  7. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. You can also add cream and Cognac like Ina Garten, but I did not and it tasted fine.
  8. Raise the heat, and boil for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve hot.
Recipe by Let's Cook Some Food at https://www.letscooksomefood.com/chicken-with-forty-cloves-of-garlic/