Did you know that Alton Brown and Ina Garten got married?
Well…. kind of.
Okay, okay. Technically, I “married” them. Well, more accurately…..I “married” their two versions of 40 Cloves Chicken which resulted in this delicious and wonderfully satisfying classic dish.
I liked Alton’s method of browning the chicken on the stove and then finishing it off in the oven. However, he used no liquids and I wondered if the chicken would be on the slightly drier side. Ina’s version did braise the chicken in liquids and provided a “sauce”. But I chose to eliminate all the extra dairy (butter, cream) and substituted the alcohol with stock. And what did I bring to the party? Red chili flakes and some extra steps to cut out unnecessary fat/grease. 🙂
In the end, Alton + Ina + Me = YUMMY, YUMMY! The chicken was extremely tender, moist, and was perfumed with garlic that was not the least bit overbearing. And OH the garlic! The cooking mellows out the sharpness that fresh garlic has and the cloves took on a rather luscious and creamy texture. If we weren’t already having risotto with our chicken, I would have carb-loaded it up by schmearing the cloves on toasted bread. But there’s always next time!
All in all, this was super easy to make and is a wonderful addition to my “chicken dish” files. And let’s not forget to mention that with all the garlic that went into this chicken—your kitchen and home will definitely be Vampire proof.
Sorry Edward…….Jacob wins this one 🙂
DOH! Did I really just make a Twilight reference? UGH! I HAVE been hanging out with my nieces too much!
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40 Garlic Cloves Chicken
Loosely adapted from Ina Garten and Alton Brown
1 Whole Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
40 Whole Garlic Cloves
2 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme
1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
¼ Teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Thoroughly season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch Oven heat olive oil to medium high. In batches, brown chicken pieces on both sides and transfer to a plate. Lower heat and add garlic cloves. Turn the garlic often and cook them until they are evenly browned. Add chili flakes and sauté for an additional minute. Carefully add chicken stock and return to a boil. With a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the chicken to the pot and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Place lid over the pot and put into the oven for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is done.
Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Skim off and discard any fat and impurities from the juices. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the juice and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat and boil for 2-3 minutes until the flour has cooked out and sauce has thickened. Check and season the sauce with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Plate chicken and pour the sauce with garlic over the top.
theculinarychronicles.com 
after they ate it, she told me i would have liked it. that’s like telling a child they would have liked meeting santa! it looks devine!
i used james beard recipe for 40 cloves of garlic— was he the originator? yours looked good. ina’s recipe was just to much of the fat. does it always have to be a stick of butter or a cup of cream?
Oh Ina…. I actually believe that we weren’t missing out when I took out the butter and cream 🙂
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I’ve made Ina’s regular version and it’s one of my favorite meals ever. I’d like to try your lightened version!
Isn’t Ina just fabulous? ….she is one friend that I would LOVE to have! lol!
I’ve been using this recipe for about 5 years and everyone always loves it! It’s so simple and easy to make that I can do it with my eyes closed. Definitely one of my favorite recipes!