More than 40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken

This is my absolute favorite chicken dish. It is simplistic in the ingredients, but full of flavor. Yes, there is a lot of garlic, but in reality, the garlic flavor is subtle and not overpowering at all. I have tried this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken, but it does not come out the same. It is important to this recipe to use bone in and skin on chicken. You do not need to eat the skin. I never do. It’s great served with mashed potatoes and French cut green beans with toasted slivered almonds. The garlic should spread easily on a slice of the baguette. This recipe does take a bit more work, but it is so worth it in the end. It is just as good the next day, if you have left overs.

1 whole chicken fryer cut into 8 (bones and skin attached)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

4-5 heads of garlic, cloves blanched and peeled

2 cups organic less-sodium chicken broth

2 1/2 cups dry white wine (pinot grigio/gris is works nicely)

2 tbsp cornstarch

1-2 tbsp ice cold water

24 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut dairy free French bread baguette

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

·      Place a pot of water on the stove to boil.

·      While waiting for the water to boil, separate the cloves of garlic and cut the bottom ends off.

·      Add the garlic cloves to the pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes.

·      Remove the garlic and place into a bowl of ice water.

·      Remove the skins from the cloves and but the skinless cloves in a small bowl. (The garlic cloves will be soft, but that is okay)

·      Preheat oven to 400F.

·      Rinse and pat dry the chicken pieces with paper towels.

·      Drizzle 1 tbsp of the olive oil on the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Rub some underneath the skin as well.

·      Place a large Dutch oven (or a similar type pot) over medium-high heat.

·      Add the remaining olive oil to the Dutch oven. When hot, brown the ½ chicken pieces at a time on both sides (approximately 2 minutes per side). Try to avoid repeatedly turning the chicken. Usually when the side is sufficiently browned, it will release from the pan.

·      Remove the chicken from the pan when it’s a nice golden brown and place on a large plate.

·      Add the garlic to the pan and stir to brown all sides. It will seem like nothing is happening, but all of a sudden the garlic will turn brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic. I don’t suggest leaving the pan during this step.

·      Place the chicken pieces on top of the garlic.

·      Add the chicken broth and white wine.

·      Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven.

·      Bake for 30 minutes.

·      Remove from the oven.

·      Take the chicken out of the pot and place on a plate.

·      On the stove, bring the sauce to a boil.

·      Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes

·      In a small boil stir together 2 tbsp of cornstarch in 1-2 tbsp of ice cold water.

·      Slowly pour the cornstarch/water mixture to the sauce until it reaches the desired thickness.

·      Put the chicken back into the pot and remove from the heat.

·      Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.

·      Serve chicken with sauce, garlic, and French bread.

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