Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic and Video: How to Peel Garlic in 10 Seconds
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I am republishing chicken with 40 cloves of garlic today to celebrate National Garlic Day.
Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic is an old classic with at least 40 ways to make it. Saveur Magazine has a recipe that says you can use up to 100 cloves. Nigella Lawson’s recipe seemed to be the easiest using chicken thighs and not bothering to peel the garlic, and Ina Garten’s recipe seemed the richest. No surprise there.
Don’t you love these women; they have transformed comfort food into sexy food, because it’s good food with no gimmicks, just good ingredients.
I ended up taking most of my inspiration from Nigella because I love chicken thighs and I love her viewpoint, but I did peel the garlic. Probably if I could choose one celebrity chef to cook in the kitchen with, it would be Nigella, because, no matter might happen, it would be fun. I wouldn’t be self-conscious as I might be with Martha. Nigella has no pretension, doesn’t take herself too seriously, yet she is fiercely passionate about food.
One might think that using 40 cloves of garlic for a chicken recipe is overkill, but this might be one dish where more is actually more. When garlic is baked and braised in the juices of the chicken, its character changes. The garlic mellows out, and becomes an incredible spread for crusty bread that sops up the juices this dish puts forth. The thighs remained lovely, browned and juicy, but the garlic and juice in the pot are divine.
I enjoy fresh sage at this time of year, and I used chives, fresh sage and fresh thyme (because these herbs grows in my garden). You could choose the herbs you like best. I also love what tarragon and shallots can do for dish. I used chives in place of scallions because it’s what I had on hand.
How to Make Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Nigella uses thighs on the bone (my favorite); James Beard uses legs. You could do that or even use breasts, but I think dark meat is the right meat of choice, as it will yield a nice amount of fat into the juices. Two thighs per person is a nice portion. Due to the richness of this dish, I recommend a crisp salad with a tart champagne dressing to offset the richness of this dish. Salad and crusty bread, a bottle of wine, and you have a heavenly meal, with a bit of chocolate for dessert, yes, perhaps Pots de Crème.
This is comfort food, healthy comfort food, for garlic is one of those things that is resoundingly delightful to eat, and full of benefits.
The only dilemma in making this recipe is peeling the garlic, so I made you a video showing you how easy it is to do. This is my first video, and there will be lots more to come.
I hope you enjoyed that as it opens the doors to making it so much easier to cook with garlic. I’m in the process of making several how to videos. Which kinds of cooking/baking videos are you most interested in seeing? Follow me on youtube here.
Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic and Video: How to Peel Garlic in 10 Seconds
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 quart dutch oven with lid or baking dish that will hold 8 thighs in one layer.
- 8 chicken thighs on bone with skin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt pepper
- 40 cloves of garlic peeled
- fresh chives can use scallions, or shallots
- few sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons dry vermouth or white wine
- fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper
- Brown chicken in olive oil in heavy dutch oven. You may need to brown in two batches. Thigh skin is thick; brown well on medium low heat.
- Remove chicken to platter. Set aside.
- Add in herbs and half of the garlic to oil in pot. Add in dry vermouth. Add chicken thighs on top of the garlic. Add in remaining garlic.
- Cover. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.
- Serve with crusty bread.
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Oh wow, this dish is gonna materialize in MY kitchen, soon as I shop for the thighs & garlic! The garlic video is hilarious – but does it REALLY work? I’ll letcha know … 🤞🏼😁
Of course it works. The video shows you that. Have fun.
How did I survive 48 years without your fantastic garlic peeling trick? Thank you, thank you, thank you! The only alcohol I have in the house is Bacardi so that is in there. I have just put the dish into the oven and am really looking forward to the results.
I’d seen that done before but unfortunately I don’t have two metal bowls of the same size. I love garlic and I think that if you bake with it — it turns creamy. Yummy!! Love the recipe!!
Has anybody tried making this with chicken breasts instead of thighs? My family only eats white meat.
When I first watched your video tip about peeling garlic I thought “no way”. I tried it “totally way” it was so easy:) this chicken is so easy to prepare and delicious to eat. Inexpensive as well. So many positives for this recipe. If your on the fence about trying it, I say do do do you’ll be happy you did.
P.s. I didn’t have wine so I used chicken broth
What can I use instead of wine ? Would orange juice or broth do ?
You could skip it, use a squeeze of lemon or a teaspoon or so of white wine vinegar or cider vinegar to bring some acid to the dish.
Angela, I love this video of you shaking the garlic! Not to mention the recipe. I used to make 40 garlic chicken a lot during my hippie daze but have not made it in a long time, but your recipe reminds me of many fun things including learning to cook many things at that time of my life! Many, many culinary discoveries that are just now vogue! Kale, lots of garlic, chicken thighs (they were cheap!). I still peel garlic the first way I learned. I lay the cloves on a board, take a large knife and “smash” them, remove the skins easily and toss into the pot as they are already crushed and wonderful.
I have so enjoyed all your posts in 2013 and so look forward to many, many more fun ideas and places to eat from you. Have a happy, happy holiday time.
Such a great technique, love the video! I’ve heard of chicken like this but never tried it – it sounds wonderful, and now I know how quickly I can peel that garlic… 🙂
Thanks, Anna. Yes, now the peeling is really easy.
This has been on my list to try for a while now. Your version sounds great.
Great looking recipe, I’m definitely going to try it. Does it say somewhere how much dry vermouth to add in? I can’t seem to find it …
Thanks, Kathi, for catching in. I added it. I hope you enjoy.
This is one of my classic go-to recipes from what I call my “hippie” days. I love your video and my mouth is salivating. Good job Angela.
You’re so cute. Thanks for sharing this tip via video. For a recipe like this, peeling the garlic is the way to go. That’s the only way to get that fab smushed garlic that you can scoop up with bread, like you said. It’s delish!
This recipe looks fantastic! A definite for this coming weekend. Thanks for the great video tip, too. Look forward to learning more from you.
Wonderful. So glad you enjoyed it.
What a great technique!
Thanks for sharing this video with us, Angela!
Just keep doing what you do – you’re an inspiration. Looking forward to more videos too.
Thank you so much. When I’m home alone planning things out and wondering why, I’ll think of posts like this.