Saturday, April 3, 2010

Chicken with 40 cloves

O.M.G. This is quite possibly the best chicken dish I've cooked. Ever. I know, that's a pretty strong statement, considering I make a lot of chicken dishes. Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic may become my signature dish. Its that good.

Now, I'm an honest Witch, I won't lie to you. I was afraid of this dish. Terrified even. 40 cloves of garlic? I don't know, that seems awfully potent. Oh sure, I'd heard that the garlic mellows and sweetens as it cooks but 40 cloves? Really?!

Really. Mellow is a great word to describe this dish. The garlic becomes a complex flavor, sweet, caramelized, smoky, pungent, delicious. The touch of heavy cream at the end adds richness. Thyme plays its herbal qualities to its finest, perfuming the dish with flavor and the wine becomes the most flavorful savory sauce you can imagine. A touch of cognac adds to the sweet smoky qualities.

I wasn't expecting much out of this dish. I'd actually avoided it for years. A good friend of mine suggested that I make it and that was the push that I needed. For that I have to say thank you Kelly, thank you for suggesting it! Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone because I have a new love. And its chicken with 40 cloves. Next time I see you I'm making this for you!

Chicken with 40 cloves
serves 6
1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces (2 thighs, 2 legs, 2 wings, 2 breasts)
S&P
2 T EVOO
40 cloves of garlic peeled (about 2.5 heads)
1 1/2 c white wine
3 T cognac
2 T heavy cream
1 t dry thyme or 4 fresh sprigs
2 T flour

Pat the chicken dry. Cover pieces with salt & pepper.

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot add the EVOO and 4 pieces of chicken. Once browned flip and brown on 2nd side. Remove from pan & set aside. Brown remaining chicken and reserve with the rest.

Add garlic to the pan and stir well to coat in oil. Cook garlic until its evenly browned on all sides. Take care to move the garlic often and flip it to avoid burning. If you burn any remove it, this will bitter the dish.

~*~Kitchen Witch Tip: To peel garlic blanch in boiling water for 60 seconds. Remove from the water and peel, the skins will slip right off. If you see any green shoots in your garlic cloves be sure to remove them! I cut them in half and pull out the shoot. If you leave the green shoots in the garlic will bitter, which is not a flavor component we're trying to add here. I had to de-shoot all 40 cloves of my garlic. While it was a pain, it was 100% worth it.~*~

Once garlic is browned add the cognac (remove pan from open flame if cooking over gas) and wine, scraping bottom to loosen cooked on bits. Bring to a boil then add chicken back to pan, along with any juices that have collected on the bottom. Place the chicken in the pan in this order: thighs, legs, wings, boneless breasts on top. The placement will ensure even cooking for all pieces. Sprinkle thyme over top, cover and reduce heat to very low.



Cook over very low heat for 30-45 minutes or until chicken is done through. Remove chicken to a plate, cover with foil and allow to rest while sauce is prepared.

Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the flour to this, whisk well to make a thick paste. Pour the thickened liquid into the pot, whisking well to incorporate. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Add 1 T cognac and 2 T heavy cream, stir to incorporate and simmer for 1 minute. Serve sauce with chicken and enjoy.



Nutrition Facts
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 279.1
Total Fat 7.2 g
Saturated Fat 2.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.0 g
Cholesterol 93.0 mg
Sodium 492.7 mg
Potassium 406.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 10.4 g
Dietary Fiber 0.5 g
Sugars 0.6 g
Protein 30.7 g

9 comments:

Stephen C said...

I've never tried a mega-garlic recipe like this even though I adore garlic. If you want something that might scare you, have a look at my garlic gravy recipe (5/16/09). It might make you run screaming into the night.

Best,
StephenC

Unknown said...

I have felt the same way about this dish as you did. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled this recipe up and then hesitantly put it aside. I was always a bit worried that it would be "too much"....I'm so glad to hear that it's not...maybe it's finally time to try it myself! Looks fabulous!

Siri said...

I watched Ina make this once and I thought she was on crack. FORTY?! But it looks amazing, I can't wait to try. Thank you!

Sarah said...

I have always wanted to try this. Sounds good. I'll have to give it a go.

Cola said...

Oh wow! Thank you so much for posting this one! I've had this recipe for a while, but it somehow got filed under "forgotten"....time to bring it out and have a go at it! I LOVE garlic.....40 cloves or 400!! Thanks again!

Anusce@Ciao-Chow said...

40?????? Oh my God!1 may I say GARLICKY!!!
I bet it tasted wonderful...
Have you ever tried pickled garlic? It is amazing and surprisingly delicate!

Unknown said...

The chicken looks so juicy and delicious!

Tonya said...

I attempted a 40 clove garlic chicken in the crockpot once. I got the recipe somewhere online and it was TERRIBLE! Luckily it was just us with Lindsay and Jason. We ended up going to Dairy Queen and having ice cream for dinner! I think I will make your version for them as an apology for the first attempt - because I know it will be good if it comes from you!

Unknown said...

I know I would love this one - lots of great chicken recipes here Andrea!!!!!

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