40 Cloves Garlic Chicken

Do not, however,  let the quantities of garlic intimidate you. Once you have them in the oven, they will lose the bite and keep the mellow sweetness.

They are combined with the extra dry white vermouth. You have a combination that will burst into your mouth with flavor.

Provencal origins, southern France, this dish is so easy to make. The great American chef James Beard introduced it to this country in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The perfect comfort food.

How quickly can you peel all those garlic cloves?

I am sure this question is swirling in your mind, and it should be. That is a lot of garlic to peel.

There are a few easy ways.

• One way is to purchase, and well, all should have one, a must, garlic peeler, and start rolling the garlic until the outer thin shell is peeled off. Below is a link to my favorite. I have 2, just in case.
• Another quick way is to smash a dry head of garlic with the heel of your hand to separate all the cloves. Place all the clove into a metal container (it will not work in a plastic container) and invert a second metal container over the first.
• You feel as if you are holding a metal ball filled with unpeeled garlic clove. Hold both bowls together at the rims and shake the heck out of it. Put on some music if you must, but shake away for 10 to 20 seconds. Lift the top lid, and you will find that the garlic will slip right out of the skin.
• The third way, or the lazy way: buy peeled garlic. Although this may be the easiest way, sometimes the garlic has been sitting in the container and lost some of the fragrance.

Cooking tips and step-by-step instructions on how to make this excellent garlic chicken

• Have your butcher cut the chicken into eight pieces to save time. I found it so much easier too.
• Be generous with the seasoning of the salt and pepper on all sides.
• Dutch oven pots are ideal for roasting poultry and any meat. My favorite is Le Creuset as they distribute the heat evenly and have a very heavy bottom that induces even distribution of heat, from stove to oven.
• Do not touch the chicken while the skin is browning. With the help of tongs, move the chicken pieces slightly to see if they move around.
• If you feel tension, they are not done yet. You do not want to turn them prematurely and break the skin from the chicken.
• Turn the chicken only once and transfer it to a baking dish. I would recommend one with a slightly higher border so all the juices are staying collected tightly.
• Do not use too wide of a baking dish. The pieces need to be close but not one over the other.
• I always use cooking tongs to turn the meat that I am cooking.
• When adding alcohol to a hot pan, I recommend turning off the heat and adding it very slowly. Keep all clothing away from the heat source and pan, including the shirt sleeves. Alcohol and grease tend to splatter, and you want to keep your face away.
• Mashing half of the garlic gives your sauce a beautiful, fragrant aroma.