Originally published on September 21, 2014
The French are really just a meat and potatoes kind of people, aren’t they? It’s funny, because whenever French cooking comes up (with just about anyone,) talk usually turns to how difficult it is, how much butter is used, and for goodness sakes – all those different sauces! But when you take a minute to really look at French cooking, you can see it for what it is – meat, potatoes, and simple cooking. That’s exactly what this recipe for 40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken turned out to be – so simple, so delicious, and so so juicy (even without a fancy sauce to serve alongside it.) This particular recipe comes not from someone who’s actually French, but from Nigella Lawson, that super sassy Brit that also makes simple food, but makes it really, really well and with just the tiniest bit of flare. I do urge you to actually count out the garlic cloves as you go. Not because I think it will make a difference if you add 39 cloves or 41 cloves, but because it’s just more fun.
Ingredients:
4 chicken legs with back attached
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
8 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 cloves of garlic, separated but unpeeled
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.) Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop over high heat. When hot, season the chicken with salt and pepper and place into the hot pan. Sear for a few minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crispy then turn and cook for another few minutes until the other side is also golden brown and crispy. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a large shallow bowl or platter.
3.) Add the thin slices of onion to the pan, along with some of the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper, and quickly stir and cook just for a minute or two. Then, turn off the heat and add 20 cloves of garlic to the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken back into the pan and top with the remaining 20 cloves of garlic. Add the white wine to the juices left in the bowl by the chicken, swirl it around to mix it up a bit, and then pour into the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of thyme throughout the pan, and cover with aluminum foil.
4.) Place the chicken into the oven and cook until chicken is juicy and nearly falling apart, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken is finished cooking, remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
5.) Serve, with crusty bread, and enjoy!