Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients:

• table salt
• 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces (4 breast pieces, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks) and trimmed of excess fat.
• Ground black pepper
• 3 large heads garlic (about 8 ounces), outer papery skins removed, cloves separated and unpeeled
• 2 medium shallots , peeled and quartered pole to pole
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Meanwhile, toss garlic and shallots with 2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste in 9-inch pie plate; cover tightly with foil and roast until softened and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes, shaking pan once to toss contents after 15 minutes (foil can be left on during tossing). Uncover, stir, and continue to roast, uncovered, until browned and fully tender, 10 minutes longer, stirring once or twice. Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Using kitchen twine, tie together thyme, rosemary, and bay; set aside. Heat remaining 1-teaspoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke; swirl to coat pan with oil. Brown chicken pieces skin-side down until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, turn chicken pieces and brown until golden on second side, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate and discard fat; off heat, add vermouth, chicken broth, and herbs, scraping bottom of skillet with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Set skillet over medium heat, add garlic/shallot mixture to pan, then return chicken, skin-side up, to pan, nestling pieces on top of and between garlic cloves.

Place skillet in oven and roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers about 160 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes. If desired, increase heat to broil and broil to crisp skin, 3 to 5 minutes. Using potholders or oven mitts, remove skillet from oven and transfer chicken to serving dish. Remove 10 to 12 garlic cloves to mesh sieve and reserve; using slotted spoon, scatter remaining garlic cloves and shallots around chicken and discard herbs. With rubber spatula push reserved garlic cloves through sieve and into bowl; discard skins. Add garlic paste to skillet. Bring liquid to simmer over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally to incorporate garlic; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in butter; pour sauce into sauceboat and serve.

STEP BY STEP: Developing the Flavor of the Garlic
1. Remove the outer papery skins from three heads of garlic and separate but do not peel the individual cloves.
2. Lightly oil the cloves and roast them in a pie plate covered with foil; remove the foil and continue to roast until the cloves are fully tender.
3. Add the roasted cloves to the braising liquid in the skillet, return the chicken to the pan, and place the skillet in the oven.
4. When the chicken is done, use a rubber spatula to push a dozen garlic cloves through a mesh sieve to remove the skins and obtain a smooth paste.
5. Whisk the garlic paste into the sauce just before serving.

Servings: 4
Time to Prepare: 1hr 15min

Submitted By: Betsy
Original Source: Cook's Illustrated

Comments:
Try not to purchase heads of garlic that contain enormous cloves; if unavoidable, increase the foil-covered baking time to 40 to 45 minutes so that the largest cloves soften fully. A large Dutch oven can be used in place of a skillet, if you prefer. Broiling the chicken for a few minutes at the end of cooking crisps the skin, but this step is optional. Serve the dish with slices of crusty baguette for dipping into the sauce and onto which the roasted garlic cloves can be spread.

This dish has a wonderful mellow flavor but it takes a long time to make and is labor intensive. Save it for company!