Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

The legendary French chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, a dish whose name sounds like a dare but tastes like a revelation. Forty whole garlic cloves go in a covered casserole with a whole chicken, dry vermouth, herbs, and aromatics. Ninety minutes in a moderate oven transforms the garlic from sharp and pungent into something sweet, mellow, and almost butter-soft, ready to spread on toasted bread.

The slow covered braise is doing the magic. The sealed environment lets the chicken poach in its own juices and the vermouth, while the garlic confits in the rendered chicken fat at the bottom. Don’t lift the foil during the bake; the trapped steam is what makes both the chicken and the garlic so tender.

Tarragon is the unsung hero of the herb mix. Its mild anise flavor matches garlic the way few other herbs can, lifting the dish out of pure savoriness into something more complex. If you can find fresh tarragon, use it; dried works in a pinch.

Pro Tips

• Use a heavy lidded casserole or Dutch oven; aluminum foil works but a tight lid seals better.
• Don’t bother peeling perfectly; rough peeling is fine since the cloves get squished out of the skins onto bread anyway.
• Use dry vermouth, not sweet; sweet throws off the savory balance.
• Serve the garlic-pulp toast as the recipe calls for; it’s half the experience.

Variations

• Use white wine in place of vermouth for a lighter flavor.
• Add 4 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary to the herb mix.
• Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving for brightness.