Julia Child Would Be Very Excited
Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic might sound insane but my oh my, this might just be one of my best dishes yet ! I have reimagined a very old classic and created a more modern version that in my opinion might just even be better than the original.
In the classic and traditional sense this recipe was always done with a whole roast chicken and the 40 cloves of garlic became like a jus or a cooking liquor to be served over the top. This however is different.Braver !
We are cooking all 40 cloves of garlic, and don’t ask me why 40.. I searched everywhere for that answer and I am still non the wiser but I am sticking with with.
As I was saying, we are cooking all 40 cloves of garlic with the chicken and then using them ALL in the sauce.
By caramelising off the chicken thighs in butter and oil we get this delicioius crispness on the outside, almost replicating those roast chicken vibes. Then slow cooking everything allows for the chicken to become incredibly tender and for the garlic to soften, become mellow, nutty and almost sweet.
The addition of the vermouth over wine is exceptional.. Julia Child herself would be very impressed!
Then the gently simmer of cream and the subtle background note of thyme makes this truly delicious.
I hope you love it as much as I do and be sure to check out the full step-by-step video on my instagram.
Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic & Crispy New Potatoes with Wild Garlic Pesto & Wilted Green
Print PinIngredients
Ingredients
Chicken
- 8 chicken thighs
- 40 cloves garlic
- 150 mls vermouth
- 200 mls cream
- 16 sprigs thyme
- 50 g butter
- 30 g oil
- Salt and pepper
- Chicken stock pot
Potatoes
- 800 g new potatoes any larger ones halved
- 200 g fresh spinach
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 20 g parmesan
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 100 g wild garlic or watercress roughly chopped
- Sea salt black pepper
Instructions
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180℃. Peel 40 cloves of garlic. Heat the butter and oil in a large pan or an oven-proof pan. Sear the chicken thighs until golden on both sides. Pop into an oven-proof dish and add in all 40 cloves of garlic. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Alternatively, cook it the slow cooker on high for 4 hours of the pressure cooker for 50 minutes. ( don’t wash the pan, you will need it again )
- When it is cooked, remove the foil. Empty the chicken and the soft golden garlic back into the pan ( the one you browned off the chicken in ). Warm up and add in the sprigs of thyme and the vermouth. Allow the vermouth to deglaze the pan and bubble rapidly until it has reduced. Add in the stock pot and the cream. Turn the heat down to medium and allow it to simmer and thicken to a rich, creamy sauce.
- Potatoes - drizzle the new potatoes with oil and season well. Place on a large flat baking tray and roast for 45 minutes - 1 hour until they are tender. To make the wild garlic drizzle, blitz the wild garlic with the white wine winegar, some parmesan and seasoning. Pour over the top of the potatoes and garnish with a little grating of parmesan.
- Serve and enjoy.
