| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons regular olive oil
- 8 chicken thighs (with skin on and bone in), preferably organic
- 1 bunch or 6 scallions
- 8 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 40 cloves garlic (approximately 3 to 4 heads), unpeeled
- 2 tablespoons dry white vermouth or white wine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoons table salt
- Good grinding pepper
Instructions
- When I was young, this old French classic was still – though in a quiet way – very much in vogue. I dare say it was because the novelty of using so many garlic cloves had not worn off; it seemed somehow dangerously excessive. Even so, I don’t think anyone would think it quite unremarkable now to put 40 cloves of garlic in a casserole. Certainly, if you peeled and chopped – let alone minced – the garlic, it would be inedible, but garlic cloves cooked encased in their skins grow sweet and caramelly as they cook, like savory bonbons in their sticky wrappers, rather than breathing out acrid heat. This is a cozy supper, not a caustic one.
- This dish entered my canon under someone else’s auspices. A few years ago, for the fortieth birthday of a then-colleague and friend of mine, Nick Thorogood, his partner asked everyone to contribute something written expressly for purpose to be compiled in a fat tribute of a book. Since most of Nick’s and my conversation dwells, with almost fetid passion, on food, it seemed only proper to write a recipe for him. And given that it was his fortieth birthday, this seemed the right recipe.
- It is not quite the classic version (not that there is only one: food is as variable as the people who cook it) but it sticks to the basic principles. Maybe because the white meat on chicken tends towards the utterly tasteless these days, I prefer to use not a whole chicken, but thigh portions only. Naturally, this wouldn’t make sense if you were raising your own chickens, then slaughtering them for the pot, as was the custom when this recipe came into being (and very good it would have been, too, for adding oomph to an old bird) but if you’re following the contemporary shopping model, it works very well. For some reason, I veer towards recipes that can easily be cooked in one of my wide and shallow cast-iron Dutch ovens and this fits the bill perfectly.
- By all means, add some steamed or boiled potatoes alongside if you wish, but I’d prefer, by far, a baguette or two to be torn up and dunked into the flavorsome juices; though don’t rule out the option of sourdough toast, which is the perfect vehicle for spreading the sweet-cooked garlic onto. Otherwise, some green beans or baby peas or a plain green salad is all you need for a sure-fire salivation-inducing supper.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat the oil on the stovetop in a wide, shallow ovenproof and flameproof Dutch oven (that will ultimately fit all the chicken in one layer, and that has a lid), and sear the chicken over a high heat, skin-side down. This may take 2 batches, so transfer the browned pieces to a bowl as you go.
- Once the chicken pieces are seared, transfer them all to the bowl. Finely slice the scallions, put them into the Dutch oven and quickly stir-fry them with the leaves torn from a few sprigs of thyme.
- Put 20 of the unpeeled cloves of garlic (papery excess removed) into the pan, top with the chicken pieces skin-side up, then cover with the remaining 20 cloves of garlic. Add the vermouth (or white wine) to any oily, chickeny juices left in the bowl. Swish it around and pour this into the pan too. Sprinkle with the salt, grind over the pepper, and add a few more sprigs of thyme. Put on the lid and cook in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
- Make Ahead Note: Chicken can be browned and casserole assembled 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. Season with salt and pepper and warm the pan gently on the stovetop for 5 minutes before baking as directed in recipe.
- Making Leftovers Right: If I do have any chicken left over – and I don’t think I’ve ever had more than 1 thigh portion – I take out the bone then and there and put the chicken in the refrigerator. Later (within a day or two), I make a garlicky soup, by removing the chicken, adding some chicken broth or water to the cold, jelled juices, placing it over a high heat and, when that’s hot, shredding the chicken into it and heating it through thoroughly, till everything is piping hot. You can obviously add rice or pasta. Otherwise, mash any leftover garlic into the concentrated liquid (which will be solid when cold), chop up some leftover chicken, and put it all into a saucepan with some cream. Reheat gently until everything is piping hot, and use as a pasta sauce or serve with rice.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 653 |
| Total Fat | 47 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 252 mg |
| Sodium | 686 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 653 |
| Total Fat | 47 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 252 mg |
| Sodium | 686 mg |
Reviews
I love cooking everything in the Dutch Oven, very easy to follow. Chicken has lots of flavor and the garlic is absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe Nigella. ❤️
Simple ingredients, easy to follow and loads of flavor! Glad I gave it a try despite it having no reviews yet.
Husband loved it!
Loved how easy this recipe was to prep, however the liquid quantity was clearly not enough… after one hour and 15 min I checked and all of the liquid was gone and the scallions were burning to the bottom of my pot. Next time I’ll add some stock.
This chicken is fantastic!! It’s moist, full of flavor, and a family pleaser. I’ll cook this for guests for sure. But the Prep Time listed for this recipe is absolutely ridiculous! It took me 15 min just to get the cloves of garlic separated much less sear 8 chicken thighs, slice the 6 scallions, take the leaves off of the fresh thyme stems, stir fry the scallions and thyme leaves, deglaze the pan, then actually assemble the casserole in the dish and get it into the oven to bake for an hour and a half. Because of this “15 min prep time” mistake we are eating dinner an HOUR later than planned. Please consider changing this on the recipe.
Fantanstic! The chicken is flavorful, moist and falls off the bone. I added some slices mushrooms after the dish had been in the over for about a half hour. This was easier to make than some other Chicken with 40 cloves recipes I’ve tried.
I made this and really liked it. I didn’t have scallions so I used a large leek instead. I added a bit more wine than called for plus 1/4 to 1/2 c chicken stock, which I added before putting the chicken back in the pot. Once the chicken went back into the pot I drizzled a bit of cognac over it. After the chicken was finished in the oven, I pulled the chicken from the pot and added about 2 tablespoons of cream to the pot to loosen the sauce and make it a bit more rich. A really lovely meal (I served it with roasted potatoes, carrots, and zucchini.
Very rich! Easily increased to feed 12 on New Year’s Day. Aromatic, beautiful color, wonderful flavor. Spread the garlic cloves on multigrain baguette slices. Two thighs left over with pan juices made a fantastic soup with the addition of diced tomatoes and Italian-style green beans. Will definitely make again!
So darn good! Have made it on 3 separate occasions. I tried it with the white one, another time vermouth, & another sherry. I used what I had on hand. I did add more liquid because I was afraid it would burn on the bottom. I also added chicken broth (1/4c) to the alcohol. The garlic is very mushy and yummy just spread on a crusty bread! I had 2 thighs left one time and I shredded that over a salad. Another time I used the extra thigh meat and used it for tacos! The flavor and juiciness is wonderful and its a very easy recipe!
Overall a winner, but I think the mashed garlic sauce might be just as good as the chicken! I blanched and peeled the garlic cloves, which made it easier to mash them into a heavenly roasted garlic paste for bread dipping. I added about 1/3c of white wine initially, but checked at about 1 hour and sauce was almost gone, so I added another 1/4c of chix stock. Made with oven roasted potatoes. Would be perfect with a light salad to cut the richness. Will definitely be adding to the rotation. Don’t be afraid of the 40 cloves, just go with it. You will be glad you did! Great dish for company as most of the work can be done ahead.