Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic Yield:
4 servings INGREDIENTS:
40cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1⁄2 teaspoon granulated sugar
8(5to 7-ounce) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts halved crosswise 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
1⁄2 cup dry sherry
3⁄4 cup chicken broth
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
2teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1tablespoon water
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Note: To peel many cloves of garlic at once, break garlic heads into cloves and place in a zipper-lock bag. Squeeze out air, seal bag and gently pound garlic with a rolling pin. Remove peeled cloves from bag.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat to 450degrees F. Toss garlic in a microwavable bowl with 1 teaspoon oil and sugar. Microwave garlic until slightly softened with light brown spotting, about 4minutes, stirring halfway through.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken skin-side down until browned, 7to 10minutes. Transfer to plate, skin-side up. Pour off all but 1tablespoon of fat from skillet. Reduce heat to medium low, add garlic, and cook until evenly browned, about 1 minute.
3. Off heat, add sherry to skillet. Return skillet to medium heat and bring sherry to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until sherry coats garlic and pan is nearly dry, about 4minutes. Stir in broth, cream, the cornstarch mixture, thyme sprigs and bay leaf, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Return chicken skin-side up to skillet along with any accumulated juices. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until chicken registers 175 degrees, 18 to 22minutes (15to 20minutes if cooking breasts).
4. Using pot holder (skillet handle will be hot), remove skillet from oven. Transfer chicken and half of garlic to serving platter. Discard thyme and bay leaf. Using potato masher, mash remaining garlic into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour half of sauce around chicken. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
Per serving: 580calories; 40g fat; 14g saturated fat; 207mg cholesterol; 35g protein; 17g carbohydrate; 4g sugar; 1g fiber; 820mg sodium; 83mg calcium
Recipe from “The Chicken Bible” by America’s Test Kitchen