Yes, you read that right—this dish really does use 40 cloves of garlic! And why not? Maybe it’s because I’m Italian, but there are very few dinners in my rotation that don’t require a generous helping of garlic. And when offered a new recipe with garlic in it, I say double it!

Because garlic mellows beautifully as it roasts, the result here is succulent chicken deliciously accompanied with savory-sweet garlic. But let’s not forget thyme either. If you’re like me, you have lots of thyme growing in your herb garden just waiting to be used, and this is a recipe where you can give it the honor! It only calls for a tablespoon of thyme leaves, but that’s about a handful of stalks, and like garlic, feel free to measure it with your heart, not the exact recipe, if you like thyme!

To make this recipe, you’re simply browning the chicken whole or in pieces, and then roasting it slowly in a bath of garlic cloves, thyme, and olive oil until fully cooked. The chicken will be incredibly aromatic, and the garlic cloves themselves will be candied so deliciously, you’ll be able to pop them in your mouth, or spread them over a slice of bread.

This easy recipe will quickly become part of your dinner rotation, I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do!

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

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5 from 1 review

You may not want to serve this Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic on a first date, but family meals are fair game, and a most delicious sacrifice!

• Author: Bill Dugan
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
• Category: Entrées

Ingredients

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• 2 pounds chicken whole or in pieces, bone-in and skin on
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 40 cloves of garlic, peeled (about three heads of garlic)
• Salt and pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Use paper towels to pat chicken dry.
3. Heat oil and butter in an oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven.
4. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and brown them on all sides. Remove chicken pieces from pan.
5. Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan (known as deglazing the pan).
6. Place the chicken back in the pan, add the garlic cloves, thyme, and the remaining oil.
7. Cover the pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
8. Remove pan from oven and let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Have you tried this recipe? It’s so easy, flavorful, and is a great Sunday dinner dish—please tell us how it turned out for you.