Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

Garlic was on sale in my store - six or seven whole bulbs for very little. I knew I wanted to make chicken with lots of garlic - there are many different recipes, but this one is based on Ina Garten's, The Barefoot Contessa. It's ridiculously rich, so you want to serve a light starter and a very light dessert, if it's part of a three-course meal. You also don't need a whole lot of carbs with it - I had some roasted artichokes and steamed snow peas, and I ate some crusty bread with the leftovers.

If you think it's hard work to peel garlic - I know I did - blanching them really, really works. It makes it so much easier, and when the garlic is roasted like this, the flavor isn't compromised at all.

The hardest part of this recipe is breaking down the chicken. Sorry, I can't help with that, as I completely suck at it. I need much more practise... or someone else to do it for me. It's good to learn though, as whole chickens are much more economical than buying the individual parts.

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

(printable recipe)

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces
salt pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
3 whole garlics - about 40 cloves
400 ml dry white wine
3 tbsp cognac
2-3 tbsp flour
50-100 ml cream (full-fat)
salt, pepper, sugar

Bring a small pot of water to the boil. Add all the garlic cloves and blanch for one minute. Drain and let them cool - they will now be super easy to peel, which is your next step.

Dry the chicken with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Heat butter and oil in a heavy pot, and brown the chicke. Start with the skin-side down, and keep the heat fairly high. When the chicken is nicely browned on both sides, set it aside. You have to work in batches, or the chicken won't brown. When all the chicken pieces are done (and set aside), add the peeled garlic cloves to the pot and fry for about ten minutes on medium high heat. They should be golden, but they can burn easily so watch them!

Add the wine and two tablespoons of the cognac. Bring to a boil, add the chicken and cover with a lid. Lower the heat, and cok on low heat for about 30 minutes. Test to see that the chicken is done, and if it is, remove it to a serving bowl and cover with foil to keep it warm.

Scoop out about 100 ml of sauce and mix with the flour. Add it back to the pot along with the last tablespoon of cognac, and 50 ml of the cream. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes. Add more cream if it seems too thick. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar if the wine you're using is very acidic. Pour the sauce, with all the garlic in it, over the chicken and serve.

Recipe i Swedish:
Kyckling med 40 vitlöksklyftor