Skip to main content

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken leg quarters
  • 2/3 cup of California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
  • 6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon or 11/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1/2 cup dry vermouth
  • 21/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 40 garlic cloves, crushed under a knife and peeled

Instructions

  1. Wash the chicken legs and thighs and thoroughly dry with paper towels. Put the oil in a shallow dish or a plate and turn the chicken in the oil to coat on all sides. Reserve the unused oil.
  2. Lay the sliced celery in the bottom of a heavy casserole or Dutch oven (not uncoated cast iron) with a tightfitting lid.
  3. Add the parsley and tarragon, then lay the chicken pieces on top. Pour the vermouth over the chicken, and add 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, and the nutmeg.
  4. Pour the reserved oil into the casserole, then toss in all the garlic and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Put a piece of aluminum foil over the casserole and then cover to make a tight seal; or make a thick, heavy flour and water paste to seal the lid, and cover the lid and paste with another layer of foil.
  5. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 11/2 hours without removing the lid. To serve remove the foil (or break and remove the flour paste seal) and serve hot, from the pot.

Recommended Products