In this French bistro classic, 40 cloves of garlic roast and infuse flavor into the chicken and sauce. The garlic mellows and sweetens as it cooks, leaving behind a nutty flavor and rich aroma. Potatoes are cooked alongside the chicken and get seasoned from the chicken juices as they roast.
Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic and Potatoes
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
8 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2 1⁄2 lb. (1.25 kg) total
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
40 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) dry white wine
3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
6 red-skinned potatoes, about 3⁄4 lb. (375 g) total, scrubbed but not peeled, quartered
6 fresh thyme sprigs
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches as needed to avoid crowding, add the chicken to the hot pan, skin side down, and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer each batch, skin side up, to a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish as it’s finished. Set aside. Do not wipe the pan clean and keep it over medium-high heat.
Add the garlic to the saucepan and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, spread the garlic all over the chicken.
Add the wine to the hot saucepan, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and return to a simmer. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. butter. When the butter has melted, season well with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Carefully pour the sauce all over the chicken and garlic.
In a bowl, toss the potatoes with the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tuck the potatoes in the baking dish all around the chicken. Scatter the thyme sprigs over the top.
Roast until the potatoes are fork-tender and the chicken is opaque throughout and the juices run clear, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
For more fresh ideas about how to prepare chicken, whether for a
quick family meal or an impressive weekend spread, check out our
Chicken Night: Dinner Solutions for Every Day of the Week.
 Wine Pairing
This dish pairs well with smooth, earthy, medium-bodied red wines like the 2011 Inman Family Wines Thorn Ridge Pinot Noir from our Wine Club. |
13 comments
I have not tried this recipe yet but it sounds delicious and I think I’m going to give it a try tonight. I’m think of possibly adding junks of onion when I add the potatoes?
I loved this recipe, I use it a couple times a year. Good enugh for company dinners.
It always boggles me when people change the recipe to something crazy like adding “apple cider vinager, or some other substitute, then make it and coment on it. Is just me, or are people missing the point. Rate the recipe in it’s original form. Whant to create your own recipe, great, readers will make their own commentson your new version.
I love it just the way it was written. Third time making.
[…] Recipe adapted slightly from Williams Sonoma […]
Hi Mary, I used apple cider, the juice, not the vinegar. Some people do not like cider but like apple juice and that would work as well.
I used some apple cider in place of the wine and forgot to season the sause with S&P. I also didn’t have fresh thyme, so I threw about a half tsp of dried thyme into the sauce. All of this to say it was delicious!! I knew it would be from the moment I spotted the pic. Thank you!!
It’s great that this recipe is so adaptable, right? Glad you love it!
Did the person use regular apple cider as a substitution f o r the wine? I don’t think that would taste good as I don’t like Apple cider.
Regular apple cider not apple cider vinegar in place of wine.
I followed this recipe and I just placed the heavy pan in the oven. I substituted chicken broth with lemon juice for the white wine; and I added a little heavy cream to thicken the sauce a bit. It was quite easy and I can already tell that this easy chicken dish will be a big hit tonight at the dinner table. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Thanks for sharing the outcome with the rest of us! The heavy cream sounds like a wonderful addition.
[…] can’t wait to make Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. Don’t be scared, garlic turns sweet and caramelizes when roasted so it sounds bad but is […]
Awesome recipe.