CHICKEN WITH FORTY CLOVES OF GARLIC

I know it sounds crazy cooking chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, but the garlic becomes very sweet and tender when it’s cooked for a long time. The small cloves will even melt and become part of the sauce. It is also an excuse for me to cook with my semi-brand new Dutch Oven. This Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris cook book. As much as I love French food and Paris, I also love her and her cooking style.  🙂 

Let’s cook some food!

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.

I didn’t use that trick but it wasn’t hard. I actually made it last Sunday and had plenty of free time. Peeling 40 cloves of garlic was kind of relaxing to me, almost felt like meditation except meditation doesn’t make my hands smell garlicky unless I’m doing it wrong. ha ha 🙂

Dry chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.

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. Do not crowd the chicken, they will be steamed and not browned.

Turn with tongs. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium.

When a batch is done, transfer it to baking sheet (or a plate) and continue to cook all the chicken in batches. Move the last piece to a baking sheet (or a plate) and 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 or add to the baking sheet that you had for the chicken. If there is too much fat, scoop some out and discard. I like to leave about 3 tablespoons in the pot. 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.

Move the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of sauce and the flour.

Add it into the sauce in the pot. You can also add cream and Cognac like Ina Garten, but I did not and it tasted fine.

Whisk it until combined.

Raise the heat, and boil for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve hot. It is also good with some Basic Mashed Potatoes and/or Dutch Oven Bread. Mmmm… another productive Sunday. I hope you give Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic a try.

Since it comes from Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris and my love to Paris, here is a picture of our last trip. Enjoy!

I also posted a few other French recipes, hope you check them out.

Croque Madame, Nutella and Banana Crepes, Ham and Cheese Crepes, Scrambled Eggs and Ham Crepes, Chocolate Almond Croissants, French Apple Tart, French Macarons, Beef Bourguignon, and French Onion Soup