Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Barefoot in Paris

Ina Garten

Ah, a new dish for the repertoire. The first time I attempted this, it was SO time consuming that my note in the cookbook says, "Fabulous, NOT a week night dish." Not one to be discouraged, I decided to try this again, my way. So, the recipe below is my version (Housewife friendly), adapted slightly from the ever amazing Ina Garten.

• 40 cloves peeled garlic (Sam's/Costco is your best friend now when purchasing the giant tub-o-peeled-fresh-garlic)


• 3-4lbs chicken (pick your poison here, I used thighs with skin but whatever your family likes as long as it's bone in and skin on)


• Salt


• Freshly ground Pepper


• 2 tablespoons unsalted Butter


• 3 tablespoons Sherry, divided


• 1 1/2 cups Dry White Wine (Leftover Pinot Grigio anyone? Cheers!)


• 2 tablespoons flour


• 2 tablespoons heavy/whipping cream

Dry chicken and season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium/high heat. In batches if necessary, saute the chicken, skin side down, until nicely browned, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs careful not to pierce the skin. When all chicken is done, place on plate.

Add all garlic to the pot, lower heat and saute for 5-10 minutes, turning often until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Sherry and all of the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices, cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Sherry and the cream and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce and garlic over the chicken and serve hot. (Goes great over rice, pasta, potatoes...)