40 Clove Garlic Chicken

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

This chicken dish is loaded with garlic in a rich white wine sauce infused with fresh thyme and a splash of cream. With about 40 cloves of garlic, one might think the garlic flavor is overwhelming. Actually the garlic is really mellow and not at all bitter due in part to a simple and quick pre-cooking method.

To ensure the garlic is cooked long enough to be mild, it’s tossed in a little oil with a big pinch of sugar then microwaved for a few minutes. This step guarantees the garlic will mellow and have a soft, buttery texture and light browning in spots.

The chicken thighs are crispy, juicy and loaded with flavor. When serving, pass any extra sauce for drizzling over the top of the chicken or a side of mashed potatoes. You’ll also want to serve this chicken dish with fresh baguettes spread with plenty of smooth, soft, buttery smashed garlic.

How to make 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

1. First prep the pan and preheat the oven

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. For this recipe you’ll want to use a Dutch oven or oven-proof skillet like cast iron.

2. Next, peel and pre-cook the garlic

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating, separate the cloves of garlic. Once boiling, drop the cloves in the water and cook for 60 seconds. Drain and peel the garlic. This makes peeling garlic super easy!

Place the peeled garlic in a microwave safe bowl and drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Stir to coat then microwave until slightly softened with light brown spots, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir halfway through cooking.

3. Make the chicken

Trim the excess fat from the thighs and pat dry with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil and butter in the skillet. Place half the chicken in the pan, skin side down, and cook until dark golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken pieces. Set aside.

4. Make the sauce

Remove some of the fat leaving a few tablespoons in the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic. Cook until evenly browned, stirring frequently. Add a splash of wine to delegate the pan scraping up any browned bits. Cook and stir until the wine evaporates.

Stir in all remaining wine and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil then add the cornstarch mixture and cream. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Return the chicken to the skillet, skin side up. Add the thyme sprigs then transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the chicken registers 175 degrees F, about 20 minutes.

5. Serve

Transfer the chicken and most of the garlic to a serving platter or plate. Discard the thyme. Using a fork or potato masher, smash the remaining garlic into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Pour half the sauce around the chicken and garnish with extra thyme or parsley. Pass the remaining sauce separately.

Serve with baguette slices or buttered toast. Smash garlic cloves on the bread like butter. Enjoy!

What to serve with 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

As mentioned above, we enjoy serving this chicken with mashed potatoes, a crisp vegetable and plenty of fresh bread for spreading with buttery garlic and for sopping up the sauce.

We also like to serve this dish with a glass of white wine such as chardonnay. Use can use any dry white wine that you enjoy drinking in the sauce.

More serving ideas:

• white, brown rice or wild rice
• buttered noodles
• butter garlic mushrooms
• a light, crisp green salad
• fresh no-knead Artisan bread

Other chicken pieces

Many recipes for Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic use a whole chicken cut into pieces. I personally prefer to use all chicken thighs or breasts so each piece cooks in the same amount of time.

If using all chicken breasts, substitute 4 bone-in, skin-on breasts for the 8 thighs. Reduce the cooking time about 5 minutes for a total of 15 minutes in the oven.