Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
Source: The New James Beard 1989
A Provençal recipe I taught for years in my classes-and which never failed to astonish the students. They couldn't believe we would use forty garlic cloves, but the slow braising softens the garlic to a lovely buttery consistency and delicate flavor, like the garlic purée on page 534.
Makes 8 servings
2/3 cups oil
8 chicken drumsticks and thighs (or use 16 drumsticks or 16 thighs)
4 ribs celery, cut in long strips
2 medium-size 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
Grated nutmeg
40 cloves garlic, unpeeled
Put the oil in a shallow dish, add the chicken pieces, and turn them to coat all sides evenly with the oil. Cover the bottom of a heavy 6-quart casserole with a mixture of the celery and onion, add the parsley and tarragon, and lay the chicken pieces on top. Pour the vermouth over them, sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and a dash or two of nutmeg, and tuck the garlic cloves around and between the chicken pieces. Cover the top of the casserole tightly with aluminum foil and then the lid (this creates an airtight seal removing the cover. so the steam does not escape). Bake in a 375° oven for 1 1/2 hours, without removing the lid.
Serve the chicken, pan juices, and whole garlic cloves with thin slices of heated French bread or hot 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.
