Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

I've seen this recipe all over the internet/food blogs, so I'm really not sure where I first saw it. Either way, I've been wanting to make it for a while now (chicken and garlic - what's not to love?) so I found a recipe on Williams-Sonoma.

This was absolutely fantastic. The garlic mellows right out and the chicken is just so moist, flavorful and tender. I served this with some classic mashed potatoes and freshly baked French Bread. (And let me just say, dipping the bread into this gravy was like heaven) And, with this dish I overcame my fear of making bone-in chicken!

I did make a few adjustments to make it work for just my husband and I, which I'll note in the recipe.

Overall this dish was fantastic and I highly recommend trying it if you haven't already!

Ingredients
Adapted from: Williams-Sonoma

2 chickens, each 4 lb., cut into 8 serving pieces (I used 1 Chicken)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
40 garlic cloves, peeled (I used about 25 cloves, since I only used 1 chicken instead of 2)
1 Shallot, Minced (I added this to the original recipe)
1 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary (I used dried)
1 Tbs. minced fresh thyme (I used dried)
Zest of 2 lemons (I used 1 lemon)
1/4 cup white wine (I used 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup chicken stock (I used 1/2 cup)
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room
temperature, cut into pieces

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a wide Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the chicken, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add the garlic and shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the chicken, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest and stir to combine. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Baste the chicken with the accumulated juices. Continue roasting, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes more.

Transfer the chicken to a platter; leave the garlic in the pan. Cover the chicken loosely with aluminum foil.

Set the pan over medium heat and mash the garlic with the back of a spoon. Add the wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add the stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a sauceboat. Serve the chicken immediately and pass the sauce alongside. Serves 8. (I used the one chicken for my husband and I and we had tons of leftovers...our dogs were very, very happy)!