Roast Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
(I HAVE NEVER HAD A CHICKEN SO TENDER! EVER! I think you can easily use this recipe as a base and substitute the oil with butter or lard and the seasoned salt with whatever–fresh herbs included–and substitute the garlic with other alliums or even apples or citrus…)
Ingredients
1 chicken, rinsed and patted dry
olive oil or lard
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 lemon, quartered
3 heads garlic, cloves separated peeled or unpeeled
1 3/4 cup chicken stock/broth, or as needed
1 cup dry white wine, or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and find your aluminum foil and a casserole dish you can put directly on the stove top. Combine dry ingredients (herbs, salt, pepper) together in a small bowl.
- Rub olive oil or lard over the skin of the chicken and then rub the salt mix into the inside cavity and all over the skin. Place the quartered lemon in the cavity of the bird.
- Place the casserole dish on the stove top and spread out the garlic cloves in the casserole dish and pour in your liquid. Place your chicken in the casserole dish and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Roast for 25 minutes at 375F then remove the foil, increase the oven to 450F and roast the chicken until done (165-170F), around 40 minutes. → I usually go for the 170F because I find that with our birds that ensures that it is actually all the way done. Check after about 20 minutes in and add more liquid if needed.
- Remove chicken from oven and let sit for 10 minutes or so, then carve and enjoy. You can keep your garlic and use them as you would roasted garlic (spread on toast, crackers, add to rice pilaf, etc.). If you have enough pan sauce left, enjoy that as a gravy.
