Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

1
Points® value
Total Time
1 hr 22 min
Prep
7 min
Cook
1 hr 15 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy
Our version of this classic dish is by made by roasting garlic in the oven and then later adding it to the chicken’s braising liquid. Don’t let the amount of garlic scare you—slow roasting brings out its natural sweetness. While this recipe may seem like a lot of work, the end result is completely worth it and because it serves 8 it is an ideal dish to serve company. To serve, squeeze the garlic from the roasted cloves onto slices of crusty baguette and dunk into the sauce. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves.

Ingredients

Garlic

40 clove(s), separated and unpeeled

Uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast

4 pound(s), cut into 8 pieces

Table salt

¼ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp, freshly ground

Olive oil

2 tsp, extra-virgin

White wine

1 cup(s)

Reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup(s)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Place the garlic in a single layer in a small baking dish; spray with nonstick spray (preferably olive-oil spray). Cover tightly with foil and roast 15 minutes. Stir, then cover and roast until the garlic just begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Uncover, then stir and spray with nonstick spray and roast until browned and tender, about 10 minutes longer.
  3. Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a large plate. Add the wine and broth to the skillet; bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the garlic to the skillet, then add the chicken, nestling the pieces among the garlic cloves.
  4. Place the skillet in the oven and roast the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted in a thigh registers 180°F, about 20 minutes. Lift the chicken from the broth mixture in the skillet and transfer to a serving dish; cover with foil and keep warm. Transfer 12 of the garlic cloves to a fine sieve. Arrange the remaining garlic around chicken. With a rubber spatula, press the reserved garlic through the sieve into a bowl; discard the skins. Whisk pressed garlic paste into the broth mixture in the skillet; bring to a simmer. Serve the chicken with the roasted garlic and the sauce. Yields piece chicken, about 3 cloves roasted garlic, and 2 tablespoons sauce per serving.