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Maybe you’ve heard of 40 Clove Garlic Chicken but never tried this flavorful French inspired recipe. Consider this a nudge, shove or push to go ahead and make this simple and delicious main course next time you have chicken thighs on hand.

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.
Ingredients overview
- 40 cloves of garlic or approximately 3 heads
- vegetable oil
- granulated sugar
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs trimmed of extra fat
- unsalted butter
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- dry white wine or sherry
- low-sodium chicken broth or homemade chicken broth
- heavy cream
- cornstarch
- fresh thyme sprigs
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!
How many does this recipe serve?
This recipe has been calculated using 4 servings with each person having 2 chicken thighs. If serving this chicken with lots of sides and extras, one chicken thigh may be enough. If that’s the case, the recipe will serve 6 to 8 people.
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.
Substitutes for white wine
While my preference is all dry white wine in this sauce, many recipes call for part (a few tablespoons) Cognac or Sherry in addition to the white wine. Feel free to experiment if you have it on hand.
As for making this recipe without any wine or spirits, you can try using white grape juice or all chicken broth. However, please note that the acidity and fruitiness of wine really adds something special as it does with our super popular recipe for Skillet Chicken and Mushroom Wine Sauce.
40 Clove Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 40 garlic cloves approximately 3 heads of garlic
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine (8oz)
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth (4oz)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- 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 for about 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Place the peeled garlic in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and stir to coat. Microwave the garlic until slightly softened with light brown spots, about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven or oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and the oil is shimmering. Place half the chicken pieces in the skillet, skin side down, and cook until dark golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a plate, skin side up. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Remove some of the fat leaving a few tablespoons in the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Add about 1/4 cup of wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan scraping up any browned bits. Cook, stirring frequently until the wine evaporates.
- Stir in the chicken broth and all remaining wine. Bring to a boil then add the cornstarch mixture and cream. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet, skin side up. Cover the chicken with thyme sprigs then transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the chicken registers 175 degrees F, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken and most of the garlic to a serving platter. Discard the thyme sprigs. Using a fork or potato masher, smash the remaining garlic into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Pour half the sauce around the chicken and garnish with extra thyme or parsley. Pass the remaining sauce separately.
- Serve with buttered, toasted baguette or Italian bread slices. Smash garlic cloves on the bread and spread like butter. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
More great chicken recipes:
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View this RecipeChicken Francese (Chicken French)
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View this RecipeChicken Thighs with Mushroom Herb Pan Sauce
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Tony Lilley
This sounds delicious! How would you prepare the garlic if you don’t have access to a microwave?
Tricia Buice
Hi Tony. You can try blanching the garlic or gently roasting it in the oven. Hope you enjoy this delicious chicken!
janina carlona
Delicious!!! The suggestion of spreading the garlic on bread was great. Wish there was more gravy.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Janina! I always wish for more gravy too 😉 Thanks for making this chicken and for taking the time to comment.
Ruth
I’m thinking about trying a couple of these recipes. Looking forward to tasting without a lot of prep.
Thanks
Tricia Buice
Thank you Ruth. Let us know what you think!
Gerlinde aka Sunnycovechef
My family and most of my friends love garlic. This is the perfect recipe to serve them.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Gerlinde! It’s great to hear from you. Hope you are well and I hope you enjoy this recipe.