Chicken With Heads of New Garlic

By David Tanis

Chicken With Heads of New Garlic
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
5(60)
Comments
Read comments

This is a seasonal variant of a classic French dish, chicken fricasseed with 40 cloves of garlic, made with the new garlic available in farmer’s markets in early summer. You can certainly make it with whatever garlic you have on hand — the bulbs cook slowly and lose their pungency in the process, becoming sweet and unctuous — but it is sensational with young garlic: bright and deep at once, fragrant and magical spread on bread. It is one of the great summertime dinners, whenever you make it.

Featured in: Seasonal New Garlic Is a Step Up in Flavor

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1small chicken, about 3 pounds
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2tablespoons butter
  • 1large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
  • 6heads new garlic
  • Several large thyme sprigs
  • 1cup white wine
  • Parsley or basil, for garnish (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

504 calories; 28 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 920 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    With a sharp knife, remove back bone from chicken. Cut chicken into 4 pieces: 2 legs with thighs attached, and the breast split lengthwise, wings attached. (Reserve back bone, giblets and extraneous chicken fat for another use.) Season chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a Dutch oven or enameled pot with lid over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook briskly, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, cut stalk and roots from garlic heads and trim off one layer from each head’s tough exterior. Cut heads in half, top to bottom. Add garlic to onions, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Place thyme sprigs on onion mixture, then add chicken pieces in one layer. Add wine and 1 cup water and bring to a simmer.

  3. Step 3

    Cover pot and transfer to oven. Bake for 35 minutes, covered. Remove lid and bake for 10 minutes, or until chicken has browned and juices at thigh run clear when probed with paring knife. Let it rest off heat for 10 to 15 minutes. (If desired, cut breasts in half and divide thigh from drumstick with a sharp knife.)

  4. Step 4

    Serve each guest a piece of chicken and several garlic halves. Spoon pan juices over everything. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or basil if desired.

Ratings

5 out of 5
60 user ratings
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Comments

Janie

Two suggestions for this...I buy chicken pieces to save time and energy. Also, haven’t had much luck with the browning process as described here, so I would brown the chicken before cooking the onion and then stick it back in for the baking process. And this is where I break my house rule and actually provide bread because it is delicious with the sauce and garlic...makes my mouth water just to think about it!

Gary R

I've made this dish several times, and we really enjoy the flavors - but have not had very good luck getting the chicken to brown at the end, as described in the recipe. I've tried using the broiler, which is okay, but have settled on browning the skin side of the chicken before sauteing the onions and garlic - then braise skin-side up. Also, take some of the cooked garlic cloves, add some of the pan juices and mash with a fork to make a nice spread for some crusty bread.

VicinNY

This is a great recipe to riff on. I make these changes: increase the garlic twofold (roasted garlic is better than candy!), brown the skin on pieces of meat (I use thighs) in a cast iron pan to crisp them and lay them on top of the sautéed aromatics and then roast at 400 for about 17-20 min and lower the temperature to 350 for the last 15 minutes. The chicken does braise but by not covering it, the skins stay crisp. The commenters’ suggestions below are also very helpful.

Janie

Two suggestions for this...I buy chicken pieces to save time and energy. Also, haven’t had much luck with the browning process as described here, so I would brown the chicken before cooking the onion and then stick it back in for the baking process. And this is where I break my house rule and actually provide bread because it is delicious with the sauce and garlic...makes my mouth water just to think about it!

Gary R

I've made this dish several times, and we really enjoy the flavors - but have not had very good luck getting the chicken to brown at the end, as described in the recipe. I've tried using the broiler, which is okay, but have settled on browning the skin side of the chicken before sauteing the onions and garlic - then braise skin-side up. Also, take some of the cooked garlic cloves, add some of the pan juices and mash with a fork to make a nice spread for some crusty bread.

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