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A Provençal farmhouse classic where a whole chicken braises with forty cloves of garlic until the meat falls from the bone and the garlic becomes a sweet, spreadable gift you smear on crusty bread.
Start with the garlic. Forty cloves sounds excessive until you understand what happens during a long braise. The sharp, pungent bite disappears entirely. What remains is something closer to roasted chestnut, sweet and yielding, a completely different ingredient than what went into the pot.
This is a dish that rewards getting out of the way. Brown the chicken well. Toast the garlic briefly. Add wine, stock, and herbs. Then let time and gentle heat do the work while you set the table and pour wine for your guests.
I first tasted this in a farmhouse kitchen outside Aix-en-Provence, where the cook apologized for serving something so simple. There was nothing to apologize for. The chicken was from a neighbor. The garlic came from her garden. The bread was still warm. Every meal is a meaningful choice, and she had made all the right ones.
Seek out a good chicken from a farmer you trust. The difference between a bird that has walked and scratched and one that has not is the difference between this dish working and merely existing. The garlic should feel heavy and tight, with no soft spots or green shoots. Fresh heads from a farmers market in autumn are ideal. Your choices shape the food system, and they shape your dinner too.
Quantity
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
cut into 8 pieces
Quantity
40 (about 4 heads)
unpeeled
Quantity
2 tablespoons
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
1 cup
Quantity
1 cup
Quantity
6 sprigs
Quantity
2 sprigs
Quantity
2
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole chickencut into 8 pieces | 1 (3 1/2 to 4 pounds) |
| garlic clovesunpeeled | 40 (about 4 heads) |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| unsalted butter | 1 tablespoon |
| dry white wine | 1 cup |
| homemade chicken stock | 1 cup |
| fresh thyme | 6 sprigs |
| fresh rosemary | 2 sprigs |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| fine sea salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| crusty bread | for serving |
Pat the chicken pieces thoroughly dry with clean towels. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Let the chicken sit at room temperature while you separate the garlic cloves. Do not peel them. The papery skins protect the flesh during braising and slip off easily at the table.
Warm the olive oil and butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the butter foams and subsides. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the chicken pieces skin side down until deep golden, about five minutes per side. The kitchen will smell of butter and rendered fat. Transfer the browned pieces to a plate.
Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the forty garlic cloves and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the papery skins turn golden and fragrant, about three minutes. The garlic should not burn. You are waking it up, not punishing it.
Pour in the wine. It will sizzle and steam. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to lift any browned bits. These are flavor. Let the wine bubble for two minutes, then add the stock. Tuck the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves into the liquid.
Return the chicken pieces to the pot, nestling them among the garlic cloves. The liquid should come about halfway up the chicken. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover tightly. Transfer to a 325 degree oven.
Braise until the chicken is fall-apart tender and the garlic cloves yield completely when pressed, about one hour and fifteen minutes to one hour and thirty minutes. The meat should pull easily from the bone. The garlic will have transformed into something sweet and spreadable, nothing like its raw self.
Remove the pot from the oven and let it rest, covered, for ten minutes. The juices will redistribute. Taste the braising liquid and adjust salt if needed. Serve directly from the pot at the table, with warm crusty bread for spreading the garlic and sopping the juices. Discard the herb stems and bay leaves, or leave them for rustic presentation.
1 serving (about 250g)
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