Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic Recipe

The first time I had this classic dish was at an impromptu gathering of friends for dinner in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. It was winter, and this stew warmed us all through and made a great reason to get together (and to drink lots of wine while it was cooking). It’s been in my regular rotation ever since (my husband requests it as “that chicken and garlic thing”), and it’s one of those recipes that is so wonderfully simple and good, with a cooking time that’s mostly hands-off. Despite the volume of garlic here, it actually becomes very mild in flavor by the time it’s done stewing. You can use stock or wine, but I definitely recommend wine.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (as “Chicken and Garlic Stew”)

2–3 lb (0.9–1.4 kg) of boneless skinless chicken thighs
40 peeled cloves of garlic
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 cup (237 ml) of dry white wine or chicken stock
2 tbsp (14.8 ml) of olive oil
Lots of salt & pepper

To serve: crusty French bread

1. Sprinkle chicken thighs generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large braiser or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Swirl in olive oil until warm. Add chicken thighs smooth side down and brown for 6–7 minutes. Flip chicken and brown for 6–7 minutes more.
3. Scatter garlic cloves evenly around chicken and place rosemary sprigs on top. Pour wine or chicken stock over chicken. Reduce heat to very low, cover, and gently simmer for 45–60 minutes, until chicken is stewed and garlic is soft enough to easily smoosh with a fork.
4. Turn off heat. Serve chicken with garlic and sauce, and lots of crusty bread to mop up the sauce and spread garlic on.

Additional recommendations:

• I like to serve this in a low bowl, with a big puddle of sauce.
• Pre-peeled bags of garlic cloves make this recipe super easy.
• You can use bone-in chicken parts in this recipe as well.
• To make this dish extra decadent, add sliced brie to your bread before spreading the garlic on it.
• Mashed potatoes are another great side option.