Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

I knew that this recipe was going to be epic as soon as I saw it was in the French edition of the Gourmet Traveller, but what I didn’t know was just what magnitude of epic it would be and it what was … EPIC!

When I first told my mum I was going to make this recipe and that it had 40 cloves of garlic she looked at me and asked me if I was trying to kill her and make her go to the toilet all night. But having spent six weeks in France getting to relish the French cuisine and learn some beautiful recipes, I knew that the 40 cloves of garlic are the key to the recipes’ success. So don’t hesitate about the 40 cloves of garlic, they are what makes the chicken so scrumptious. 

The sauce the chicken cooks in is too perfect and delicious to let it go to waste. It has a slight tang of lemon and the beautiful aroma and pungent taste of the caramelised garlic. This is why I highly recommend that you make a fluffy white rice and pour the beautiful sauce over the chicken and rice to serve. Trust me, you will be crying for more.

The original recipe uses Spatchcoks , which are small beautiful chickens, however I’ve used two of the smallest chickens I could purchase at my chicken shop. But feel free to use whatever you can get your hands on to. 

2 small chickens

1 lemon, halved

8 thyme sprigs

2 tablespoons olive oil

60gm butter, coarsely chopped

40 garlic cloves, peeled

250ml dry white wine

250ml (1 cup) chicken stock

2 fresh Bay leafs

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Wash chickens under cold running water, then pat dry with absorbent paper. Place a lemon half and 4 sprigs of thyme into the cavity of each chickens and tie the legs of the chicken with kitchen string. Season to taste and set aside. 

Heat oil in a large casserole over medium heat, add butter and when it begins to foam, ass garlic and stir occasionally until fragrant and golden (5-7 minutes). Add wine, stock and bay leaf bring to the boil, then add the chickens, cover and braise in the oven for 1 hour. Remove lid and roast until golden and sauce has reduced slightly (approximately 1 hour). Season to taste and serve hot with rice so you can pour the sauce over the rice and chicken.

This recipe is from the July 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.