definitely not a weeknight dinner.
Friday night is my favorite night to cook. Work is finished for the week. I can sleep in on Saturday. Don’t have to rush. Don’t have anything else that needs my attention. I can just pour a glass of wine, turn on some good music and unwind in the kitchen.
I like to think of the kitchen as my happy place. But with the amount of swearing and cursing that comes out of there, The Husband would be quick to disagree.
Back to Friday night’s dinner.
I’ve got a great, easy-to-make recipe that is perfect for the weekend. With a few conditions:
You have a lot of time to dedicate to it. (I said it was easy, not quick. Big difference.)
You aren’t cooking for someone you’ve just started dating and/or intend to make out with later.
You have no plans to leave the house after dinner.
You’ve got a Costco-sized bottle of mouthwash at the ready.
This recipe has a sh*t ton of garlic in it.
Forty cloves of it, to be exact.
That’s right. This is a recipe for 40-clove garlic chicken. And it’s one of my best.
You can adapt this recipe in a few obvious ways if you’re on a specific diet, like Whole30. For starters, you can omit the wine. And you don’t have to use a fresh, crusty piece of bread to soak up the juice.
But if you’re splurging, it’s not all that unhealthy of a meal otherwise.
Alright then, let’s get started.
Step one: Pour yourself a glass of white wine. You’re going to need to open a bottle for this recipe anyway, and trust me, in a little bit you’re going to be glad you’re drinking wine.
Step two: Count out 40 cloves of garlic. You’ll need roughly three heads or so to yield that many. Just count them out first; don’t worry about peeling them yet. Sorting 40 cloves of garlic is going to leave you with a giant mess. Toss all the layers of garlic peel so you’ve got a clean surface to work with to peel your garlic.
Now, peel your garlic. This could take a while.
I don’t know about you, but this is one of my least favorite culinary acts. I’ve tried all the tricks. Shaking them in a jar only kinda loosens them up. I use the side of my knife to smash them a little, and that seems to be the best method for me.
I guess you could buy the bag of already peeled garlic they sell in the produce section. But trust me, it’s just not the same.
Around 18 cloves into the peeling process, two things are going to happen: You will finish your glass of wine, and you will hate me for tricking you into making this dumb recipe.
Wait for it. It pays off. Trust me.
Once you've got all you garlic peeled, leave them intact and put them aside in a bowl. Thinly chop four stalks of celery, and put them aside in a bowl as well. You'll also need a few sprigs of Italian parsley, olive oil, chicken broth and of course, your vino.
I like to use a combo of chicken drumsticks and thighs for this recipe. Salt them generously, and arrange them in the bottom of a Dutch oven, or any other pot that is oven-safe. Oh yeah, turn on your oven. 375 is good.
Toss in the garlic, then the celery. Grind some fresh pepper all over, and sprinkle about a teaspoon of nutmeg on top. Throw on your sprigs of Italian parsley. Drizzle about 2 tbsp. of olive oil all around. Add 1/3 cup of low-sodium chicken broth and 1/4 cup of dry white wine.
While you've got it out, you may as well top off your glass.
Wrap a sheet of aluminum foil on top and then place the lid on over it. Pop that puppy in the oven for an hour or so. Go sit down, drink your wine and try not to eat the entire loaf of bread before dinner is ready.
Check on it at the hour mark. You'll know it's done when you can press on a garlic clove and mash it easily with a fork. Like this:
Serve it in a bowl with a hunk of bread, and be sure to include plenty of the brothy goodness at the bottom of the pot. That's the good stuff.
Eat it and enjoy. And brush your teeth three times before going to bed.