Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

A homey braise where forty unpeeled garlic cloves melt into a sweet, spreadable paste alongside tender chicken.

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs and legs (about 3 1/2 pounds)
• 40 cloves garlic, unpeeled (about 3 to 4 heads)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Crusty French bread, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
2. In a heavy Dutch oven, toss the chicken with the olive oil, garlic cloves, wine, herbs, and celery leaves until everything is well coated.
3. Arrange the chicken skin-side up and nestle the garlic cloves around it. Cover tightly with a lid (or seal with foil under the lid).
4. Bake, undisturbed, for 1 1/2 hours, until the chicken is very tender and the garlic is soft and golden.
5. Serve the chicken with the pan juices, spreading the sweet Roasted Garlic from its skins onto warm crusty bread.

Notes

A James Beard classic that popularized the now-iconic 40-clove technique in American kitchens.