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Meat, South and mountains

Forty garlic clove chicken with potatoes

Forty garlic clove chicken with potatoes is a braised dish for 4 people, ready in 1 hour 40 minutes, easy to make, for €3.50 per serving. The key is the unpeeled garlic cloves that slowly candy under the lid and turn as soft as a puree, while the chicken and potatoes cook together in the same juices.

Forty cloves of garlic, don't worry, they turn soft and candied, almost like a cream, alongside a chicken that falls apart tender.

Forty garlic clove chicken with potatoes
Total time
1 h 40
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.50
Calories per person
600 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

There's nothing sharp about the garlic here. Forty cloves sounds like a lot, but as they cook they lose all their bite and turn tender, almost sweet. The chicken simmers in that mellow scent, the potatoes soak up the cooking juices, and the chicken skin stays crisp thanks to a final stretch uncovered in the oven.

This is a Sunday family dish, the kind you set in the middle of the table in its pot and let everyone serve themselves. Kids love squeezing the garlic cloves onto bread, it turns into a little game, and adults rediscover that same simple gesture that changes everything. It's easy to put together and leaves you free time while it bakes, perfect for an unhurried fall or winter Sunday.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Chicken, cut into pieces 1.5 kg

Fruits and vegetables

  • Garlic cloves, unpeeled 40 cloves
  • Potatoes 800 g
  • Thyme 4 sprigs

Pantry

  • Bay leavesoften in the pantry 2
  • Dry white wineoften in the pantry 10 cl
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

The step by step recipe

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and separate the garlic cloves without peeling them.

    Break them apart by pressing the head of garlic with the palm of your hand.

  2. Brown the chicken pieces in a Dutch oven with the olive oil. 12 min

    Start skin side down, it gives you a nice crisp finish.

  3. Add the diced potatoes, the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and wine.

    Stir to coat the potatoes well in the fat.

  4. Cover and bake, then remove the lid near the end to let it brown. 1 h

    Don't lift the lid without reason, the steam is doing the work.

  5. Serve straight from the pot, and squeeze the garlic cloves to spread them on bread.

    A piece of toasted bread mashed with a candied garlic clove beats any kind of butter.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick firm fleshed potatoes, like fingerlings or Yukon golds, they hold up better through the long cook without turning to mush.
  • If your pot doesn't seal tightly, add a splash of broth or water partway through so nothing sticks to the bottom.
  • Let the pot rest for 5 minutes out of the oven before serving, the juices settle better between the chicken and the potatoes.

The variations

  • Swap the chicken for turkey thighs, they handle the long cooking just as well and stay moist.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the chicken and add mushrooms and carrots, the juices and candied garlic carry all the flavor.
  • For a faster version, use boneless chicken pieces and cut the oven time down to 35 minutes.

What to serve it with

  • Toasted bread to spread the garlic on
  • A sharply dressed green salad
  • A glass of dry white wine

Storage

This dish keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well, chicken and potatoes included, for up to 2 months. Reheat it in a skillet or the oven so the skin crisps back up.

Questions about this dish

Do you need to peel the garlic before cooking it?

No, leave the garlic unpeeled, that's the whole point of the recipe. The skin protects the cloves during the long cook and you can easily squeeze out the soft garlic at the end.

Can you make this dish ahead of time?

Yes, you can make it the day before and reheat it gently in the oven the next day. The candied garlic flavor actually deepens a bit as it rests.

Does the dish really taste strongly of garlic?

No, it's the opposite. Garlic cooked slowly in its skin loses its sharpness and turns mellow, almost creamy, with no harsh bite at all.

Can you replace the white wine with something else?

Yes, you can use chicken broth instead if you'd rather cook without alcohol. The result will be a touch less fragrant but just as tender.

How long does it take to make a forty garlic clove chicken with potatoes?

Count 1 h 40 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a forty garlic clove chicken with potatoes?

About 600 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a forty garlic clove chicken with potatoes cost?

About €3.50 per serving, or €14.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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