Chicken with 39 Cloves of Garlic

I can read your mind. You're thinking one of two things right now. Some of you are thinking, that's not what it's called Siri, it's called Chicken with FORTY Cloves of Garlic. And the rest of you? The rest of you are thinking, WHAT??? What kind of dish has 39 cloves of garlic in it???

I used to think like the latter of you. When I first saw Ina Garten make this I thought, what kind of dish has 40 of ANY ingredient in it, let alone one with such madly pungent flavor? It's so specific. It makes me want to whip up a batch of cookies with 279 chocolate chips. Or go brush my 32 teeth. Is that how many teeth we have? I just counted, I only have 28. Is that normal? Getting very distracted here...


SO. To honor such a precise recipe, I felt I should fess up and admit that I only had 39 cloves of garlic. It didn't matter though, the flavor was still intense and still delicious. Cooking garlic mellows it out and gives it a sweet, nutty, caramelized taste. I wish I had served this with crusty french bread to mop up the sauce, but I did not, so instead I ate 9 cloves of garlic. Yes I did. Take THAT Kristen Stewart. (She's a vampire, right?)

Chicken with 39 Cloves of Garlic
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten
(Serves 4-6)

3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
4-6 pieces of chicken, with skin (I used 4 thighs)
1 T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
3 T Brandy or Cognac
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 T fresh thyme leaves
2 T flour
2 T cream
Salt and pepper

Dry chicken and season both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and butter in large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute for 5 minutes per side, until well browned.


Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. Turn heat down and add your 39 or 40 cloves of garlic. Saute for 5-10 minutes, until nice and golden.


Add 2 T of the brandy or cognac and the white wine. Use your spatula to scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil.


Add the chicken back to the pan and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked. Mine took about 40 minutes.


Place chicken on serving dish and cover with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce with the flour.


Then whisk flour mixture back into sauce, adding the remaining T of brandy and the cream. Bring to a boil for a few minutes.


Pour sauce and garlic over chicken and serve.


I hope you enjoy. It's past my bedtime, and now I must count exactly 62 sheep before passing out...