French | Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Revised on July 17, 2019
My third version of this recipe. This one is the best!
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
kosher sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
40 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
6 red-skinned potatoes (3/4 pound), scrubbed but not peeled, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch cubes
6 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish
Method
Heat oven to 350°F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper; add to the pot and cook, skin side down, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken, skin side up, to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Add the garlic to the pot; cook until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scatter the garlic over the chicken.
Add the wine to the pot, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, return to a simmer. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter has melted, season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garlic.
In a bowl, toss the potatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes to the chicken. Put the thyme sprigs over the top.
Cook in the oven until the potatoes are fork-tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 35 to 55 minutes.
Garnish with fresh thyme.
(Ref. "Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic" recipe, Leite's Culinaria website.)