Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Eat your sweet hearts out, garlic lovers. This one’s for you, this Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic (or, Poulet aux Quarante Gousses d’Ail). That’s how you say it in French, which is good to know since this is a beloved Provencal style recipe. And to be honest, it’s not nearly as overtly garlicky as the name would have you believe. I mean that – it’s really not. While yes, there may be a near obscene amount of garlic going on in this recipe, the way that we go about cooking said garlic really creates these little bursts of buttery, sweet, roasted garlic goodness that taste utterly incredible. The garlic cloves cook slowly in the buttery, simple sauce and they abandon much of their inherent PUNCH. No garlic punches are thrown here, y’all. Not even.

My version of the iconic French Chicken with 40 Cloves is maybe-just-maybe the perfect dinner party menu item, because it’s tres’ intriguing.

What with all that garlic. People will be like, ummmmmm say wha?!

How many cloves of garlic are in a bulb?

The short answer, after I literally got out my bulbs and counted – is 20. So, for this recipe, I honestly just use one bulb. I know, I know – this is supposed to be “Chicken with 40 Cloves.” But I get very sick of peeling the garlic after about 20 cloves’ worth. So, I stop there and call it good. And it’s delicious, perfect, and a delightful approximation of the authentic version.

So, you do you when it comes to the literal amount of garlic that you use. I’m giving you that freedom here.

After all of these years of cooking – cooking with goo gobs of garlic – I honestly wasn’t sure what the answer to this question was. Shame shame, Lauren. But it’s an easy enough answer to dig up oneself. You see, I made the mistake recently of ordering a whole pound of garlic – which ended up being like, eight bulbs altogether. I meant, of course, to just order one bulb but alas, there I was with a whole gaggle of garlic on my hands. So, that’s why I decided to make this dish. It literally uses 40 cloves, but honestly? I never actually count them. Exactness isn’t really the point here. It’s garlic. Garlic is the point.

Anyway. To answer this question, I simply cracked into a bulb of garlic (one of my many, many bulbs) and counted. My particular bulb had TWENTY CLOVES. Yes, this bulb had 20 cloves of varying size. And it was the exact right amount to use in this recipe that serves four people. Now, were I to make this to serve say, 8 people – I’d probably double everything … including the garlic.

NOTE: Organic garlic bulbs are smaller, and therefore contain fewer cloves.

Is garlic healthy? Is this recipe healthy?

Garlic is purported to be good for you, with several proven health benefits. That said, a lot of things are overblown and unsubstantiated, and I’m certainly no certified nutritionist, dietician, food scientist, or even wellness person. However, I’ve always personally enjoyed the fact that garlic is good for you, because let’s be honest – I cook with it several times each week.

Garlic is a plant in the allium family (we LOVE alliums), along with onions, leeks, ramps, shallots, etc. Each individual segment of a garlic bulb is called a clove, and today we’re going to peel and use anywhere from 20 to 40 of those (again, the actual amount you go for is totally up to you). Garlic grows all over the world, and is an incredibly popular ingredient in many different cuisines, all over the globe.

Low in calories and high in sulfur compounds that are considered healthy, garlic is also rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese. It also contains trace amounts of other nutrients.

What is the best cut of chicken to use when making Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic?

You could make this with boneless, skinless thighs if you wanted something a bit lighter and quicker-cooking. But for this recipe, I think the very best cuts to use are the bone in, skin-on pieces. I like to use a mix of drumsticks and thighs, because they nestle all in the pot so well together and my family happens to really enjoy these cuts. But you could do all thighs, all drumsticks, you could do a whole cut-up chicken – the choice is yours.

But just know that the crispy, browned chicken skin really is a major player in the overall deliciousness of this recipe, so try to stick with skin-on chicken for this one. It’s such a beautifully simple recipe, that we need each component (included the chicken skin) to be present and accounted for, for things to reach their full potential.

How to serve Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

To serve my version of Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, I like to pile up the crispy-skinned chicken pieces on a big platter or dish of some sort (something big enough to hold them). Then, I gingerly (yep) spoon the garlicky, buttery sauce down all around the pieces. Try not to ruin/moisten the crispy skin when doing this, that’s my best advice there. I do like to spoon the garlic cloves all up and on top of the chicken, though, so you can really see them and get that full garlic effect.

It’s why we’re all here, after all.

But what do you serve Chicken with 40 Cloves WITH?

Oh, right. That’s probably what you wanted to know before. I think you should reach for whatever starchy, sopping vehicle you like the most. For me, I tend to use roasted potatoes and usually zucchini or asparagus. The asparagus (or zucchini) balance the richness of the chicken with their verdant vegetal quality, and the potatoes perfectly soak up the sauce.

The cloves of garlic will become so soft and buttery though, so I HIGHLY recommend having some crusty bread slices around so you can spread that garlic over, like butter, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Tips for getting the perfect crispy chicken skin

Best tip? Don’t mess with it. When you’re browning and crisping up chicken skin, you want to lay the chicken, skin side down, into the hot pan (with a little cooking oil already inside, and hot) and then you don’t want to move or mess with it at all. At least not until that skin has had the full chance to really brown and crisp up for you.

TIP: you’ll know that the chicken is nice and browned if it pulls easily away from the bottom of the pan. If it sticks – it’s not ready. It can take several minutes for things to get where you need them to be, so just be patient.

The broiling step that I’ve included at the end of my recipe here is also really helpful in getting that chicken skin super crispy. Always a great trick.

What you’ll need to make Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

6 to 8 chicken drumsticks

Salt and pepper, as needed

1 to 2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP butter

1 small onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

40 whole garlic cloves (about 2 bulbs’ worth; I say use at least 20 cloves)

2 bay leaves

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 TBSP cornstarch or flour

Optional topping: I toss a generous handful of either watercress or arugula with a bit of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. This simple salad adds brightness to the rich dish, a peppery note, and a lovely burst of green. Not required, but lovely. 

How to make Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the middle position.

Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces very well with salt and pepper and when the oil is shimmering hot, brown the chicken on both sides until the skin is nice and crispy; takes a good 6 to 8 minutes on the skin side, and then much less after you’ve turned them. Transfer the browned chicken to a tray or plate for now. 

Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. Add the onion, celery, bay leaves, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender; about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and stock, stir to get up any browned bits. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch (or flour) with some of the hot cooking liquid from the pot, creating a smooth paste with no lumps. Pour this mixture (called a slurry) back into the pot and stir, making sure no lumps form (this will lightly thicken the sauce)

Nestle the chicken down into the pot, ensuring that each piece is halfway submerged. 

Put the lid on the pot and place in the oven. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Remove the lid and broil until the chicken skin is visibly browned and crispy; about 3 or 4 minutes (keep an eye on it!). 

To serve, I like to transfer the chicken to a big platter and spoon the sauce all around the pieces, really putting all of that garlic on display. If desired, top with a simple salad of lightly dressed watercress/arugula (see ingredients list). 

If you like the looks of this Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, you might also enjoy:

Lighter Hungarian Chicken Paprikash

Quick and Easy Indian Butter Chicken

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