Before I continue this post, I need you to know that I did not get to taste one piece of this 40 clove garlic chicken because of this four-legged monster. I made 10 chicken thighs. They smelled wonderful, they were browned to perfection, and his greedy tail ate 8 pieces of it, and probably licked the other two pieces for good measure. I do not eat after my animals. I don’t eat after my children for the most part, so I’m definitely not going to eat after a being that can lick itself in odd places.
[socialpug_tweet tweet=”This 40 clove garlic chicken recipe is amazing. Yes, it’s that good.” display_tweet=”]
Yes, this is a recipe post. You’re getting full Natasha. For those of you who don’t like to read stories related to recipes, you can scan on down to the bottom to get it and keep your eye rolls to yourselves. I know that eye-rollers exist. I’ve seen them!
Anyway, back to the recipe. I was looking for a recipe that would use up all of my garlic and came upon Ina Garten’s 40 clove garlic chicken. Guys, my chicken was so beautiful. SO BEAUTIFUL. It would have made Ina weep with joy. Now, only Dennis knows how good that chicken was, and he’s been looking at me with big brown eyes for days. This is why I hate animals in the kitchen. These four-legged beasts are too smart for their own good. Waited until I had to take a bathroom break and went for broke.
The garlic cooked up just right too. No burning of it so that it became bitter. It was fragrant, and the fact that it cooked down to the point where I could smash it with a spoon, was just perfect. >sigh< The frond on the bottom of the dutch oven was ready to be de-glazed with cognac and white wine (yes, I don’t drink “hard” liquor, but I cook with it) and form a sauce so rich that you’d try to slap your mama.
And I didn’t get to taste not ONE PIECE OF IT!
I did, however, get to photograph the wonderful dish, and dream about the creamy mashed potatoes that were going to accompany the chicken. Dennis is dead to me.
Do you see that wonderfully browned skin? DO YOU SEE IT?!
Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy, and yes, I will be making this tonight for dinner, and putting Dennis on the back porch. So he can sell it, but not steal it.
40 Clove Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
- 10 skin on, bone-in chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Cognac, divided (I used Vanilla Extract the first go round)
- 1-1 ⁄2 cups dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside (or you can can buy pre-peeled garlic)
- Dry the 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, sauté the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
- Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don’t want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, 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. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac 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 sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.
- Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1⁄2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot.
- Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste
- Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.
That looks so good! I’m starting to bring meat back into my diet and chicken is the only thing. And I now want mashed potatoes thanks to this! Hope Dennis doesn’t pick the kick and bust in the house and steal the next one hahaha
Dennis is a menace. Such a menace. And he got into the second batch as well. Of course, this time we ate by then, but he snuck into the kitchen and snagged another piece. I can’t stand him. And now he’s laying down acting like he worked fifteen jobs.
This looks so good! I have been looking for more ways to cook chicken and use garlic and have found it.
YES! And it’s such a good way to use up heads of garlic that you may have but no recipes for.
bhahahah poor Dennis, he looks like he is sorry! But man, can you blame him? The chicken LOOKS amazing, so I am sure it SMELLED just as amazing!! Loved it all!
Dennis loves garlic chicken, too!! I’ve never read the stories that accompany yummy recipes, but I’m glad I read this one! I chuckled all the way through. Can’t wait to try this. I’ll be sure to keep Miracle busy and out of the kitchen.
At least YOUR Dennis is the human variety and not a slinker through the kitchen. That dog made me so mad that day! LOL! I hope you enjoy!
I am going to try this. Maybe for Sunday Dinner. Hubby is always buying the long tube if garlic when all I need is a couple of cloves.
YAY! Make sure to tell me how it turns out!