Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

iwearnosox

Lifer
Oct 26, 2000
16,018
5
0

It's in the oven, thanks for whoever posted the recipe. (I can't seem to find you!)

1:30 till garlic goodness. Off to buy bread!

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Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
by James Beard
featured in Epicurean Delight:
The Life and Times of James Beard
by Evan Jones
(Alfred A. Knopf, 1990)
Serves 8

"[This is] a Provençal recipe that I taught for years in my classes," Beard said, "and one that never failed to astonish the students because the garlic becomes so mild and buttery when it's cooked through!"


convert Ingredients

2/3 cup olive oil
8 chicken drumstick and thighs (or 16 of either)
4 ribs celery, cut in long strips
2 medium onions, chopped
6 sprigs parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup dry vermouth
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper nutmeg
40 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Method

1. Put the oil in a shallow dish, add the chicken pieces, and turn them to coat all sides evenly with the oil.

2. Cover the bottom of a heavy 6-quart casserole with a mixture of the celery and onions, add the parsley and tarragon, and lay the chicken pieces on top. Pour the vermouth over them, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a dash or two of nutmeg, and tuck the garlic cloves around and between the chicken pieces. Cover the top of the casserole tight with aluminum foil and then the lid (this creates an air-tight seal so the steam won't escape). Bake in a 375°oven for 1 1/2 hours, without removing the cover.

3. Serve the chicken, pan juices, and whole garlic cloves with thin slices of heated French bread or toast. The garlic should be squeezed from the root end of its papery husk onto the bread or toast, spread like butter, and eaten with the chicken.
 

MichaelD

Lifer
Jan 16, 2001
31,528
3
76
Dude, I just printed that out!!!! I wonder how it would be w/boneless chicken breasts? Mmmmmm....sounds yummy. I love garlic!
 

monk3y

Lifer
Jun 12, 2001
12,699
0
76
Sounds really good indeed. I'm gonna have to go alot heavier on the pepper though :)
 

Vincent

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,030
2
81
Originally posted by: MichaelD
Dude, I just printed that out!!!! I wonder how it would be w/boneless chicken breasts? Mmmmmm....sounds yummy. I love garlic!

I don't think it would taste as good because chicken breasts are much leaner and less flavorful. You might also have to shorten the cooking time.
 

iwearnosox

Lifer
Oct 26, 2000
16,018
5
0
53 minutes. It doesn't smell like anything because it's all wrapped up to prevent steam from escaping.

Got some french bread ready. yum. :):beer:
 

UNCjigga

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
25,611
10,313
136
Originally posted by: Moralpanic
I remember Julia Childs did a similar dish like this.
"Like Julia Child, n*gga cook emcees, Craig Mack baby 1000 degrees..."

 

abc

Diamond Member
Nov 26, 1999
3,116
0
0
this sounds like a dish in the current issue of cooks magazine.
 

Sophia

Senior member
Apr 26, 2001
680
0
0
I've cooked it with frozen chicken breasts in the past (50-60 min cooking), but you may need to cook the garlic longer separately or risk dry chicken and/or garlic that won't spread. Dark meat in this case is much more flavorful anyway. I've been using Tyson frozen boneless chicken thighs lately (70 minute cooking time unthawed) which seems to be enough for the garlic to cook to a good consistency.
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
5
0
Originally posted by: iwearnosox
Julia Child's typical workshop band saw? :):beer:

Yeah, but what you were doing was misinformation. There's a big difference between a deli slicer and a meat saw. Mine is just a spelling error... i haven't seen her in years, so it's even a surprise i remembered her name.
 

MichaelD

Lifer
Jan 16, 2001
31,528
3
76
Thanks for the additional cooking info. :)

I'm going to try this out this weekend!