Chicken w/ Forty Cloves of Garlic 2.0

Wow! It has been nearly 3 years since I have last posted to the blog. While I have not posted new recipes, I haven’t stopped cooking. Life certainly has a knack of getting in the best-laid plans. 

When I began thinking about what my first recipe back would be, I didn’t have to think very long. I decided to update my recipe for Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic version 2.0! When I first heard of the recipe of chicken with forty cloves of garlic, I was in love instantly. To like this dish, you really must love chicken and garlic! This classic French dish is perfect for entertaining, great to make with friends and family, and screams comfort food. 

In this new version, I tried to add more flavor through additional herbs and spices, as well as additional texture in sautéed mushrooms for garnish. You can view my initial recipe here. Again, this recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's infamous recipe. Enjoy!

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic 2.0

(adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)

Prep Time: 35 to 40 minutes                                     Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Difficulty: Intermediate                                             Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
• 2 small packages of chicken drumsticks and thighs
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 packages of whole baby portabella mushrooms, stemmed and quartered, divided
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, sliced
• 3 tablespoons brandy or bourbon, divided
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 3 to 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚.

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel the skin. Set aside as whole cloves.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and onion powder on both sides.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. In batches, sauté the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn the chicken with tongs making sure to not pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat begins to burn, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to sauté all the chicken in batches. Cover the browned chicken with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Next, add the onions and mushrooms to the Dutch oven. Sauté for 5 minutes over medium heat until the onions are translucent, and ¾ of the mushrooms are browned. Next, add all the garlic cloves to the Dutch oven and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the brandy and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and throw in the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Cover and place the Dutch oven into a 350˚ oven for about an hour and 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

While the chicken is cooking, sauté the remaining mushrooms in a small skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook mushrooms for 5-6 minutes over medium-high or until browned. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Once browned, remove from heat and set aside.

Once the chicken is done, place the Dutch oven on the stovetop under medium-high heat. Move the chicken to a serving platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Remove the thyme and rosemary stems.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour until combined. Next, whisk the flour/sauce mixture back into the remaining sauce in the Dutch oven. Add the remaining tablespoon of brandy/bourbon and the heavy cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Finally, pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken. Garnish with reserved sautéed mushrooms and parsley and serve warm. Enjoy!

Cook’s Notes

Yes, there are actually 40 cloves of garlic in this recipe. If you don’t want to peel that many cloves, feel free to buy a container of pre-peeled garlic cloves at the grocery store.

You may be tempted to use chicken breasts in this recipe. However, I would suggest trying boneless, skinless chicken thighs for a substitute. Chicken thighs and legs have much more flavor and can hold up to a longer cooking time than breasts.

When browning your chicken, try not to overcrowd your pan. If you overcrowd the pan, you will steam the chicken, instead of browning it. You may have to brown the chicken in separate batches to accomplish this. Please note that you are not cooking the chicken completely through—the chicken will cook fully in the oven!

If you don’t want to use wine, please feel free to use reduced-sodium chicken broth/stock.