Chicken with 40 cloves...

The 40 cloves chicken is a classic French thing I read about in Bon Appetite some years ago. I had a lot of garlic that needed to be used and a whole chicken in the freezer taking up a lot of space. So, I said “what the heck” ~ peeled those 40 or so garlic cloves and throw them in the pot with the chicken and some white wine and a little bit of chicken stock.
I quartered two lemons, added some sprigs of thyme and seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper; then closed the lid and popped it in hot oven........ The finished result was plenty of flavorful stock ... the cloves are deliciously caramelized... and the chicken juicy & tender.

Roasted Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, Thyme and Lemon

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken stock
10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 peeled cloves garlic
2 lemons, quartered
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add wine & chicken stock, thyme, garlic cloves and quartered lemons.

Cover and bake for 1½ hours. Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.

This is a great entrée for a Saturday evening, when you have been out & about apple picking, antiquing or just sitting out in your garden enjoying an early fall afternoon. I usually serve this with roasted vegetables and wild, so the flavorful juices can be ladled around the plate. Bon Appetite and have a wonderful weekend.