What do you do when you have too much garlic? Make a much-longed for Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic {and later, kick yourself that you hadn't made it sooner!}
First, melt butter in a heavy-based pan and add equal amount of olive oil.
Season a range of chicken pieces with skin-on. I used two Lillydale packs and removed the wings and popped them in a ziplock bag with a honey soy marinade for another dinner. Then adding a few pieces at a time, skin-side down, brown the chicken skin. Then carefully turn and brown underside. Then remove and set aside.
Deglaze the pan with a hearty sloosh of brandy. I'm guessing I used about 1/4 cup. And add the chicken pieces, skin-side up. Then break up the garlic cloves and shove them around the chicken, tucking in tightly - don't remove skins, you can squish the garlic out when it's cooked.. Strew with thyme stalks and then add enough white wine to almost cover {probably half a bottle.}
Pop on the lid and gently simmer for around 45 minutes. Then, remove the chicken, turn up the heat and reduce the sauce by half {oh. my. god. the sauce! tis delish!}. When sauce is thick, buttery and just bloody beautiful, add the chicken, pop on the lid and allow to heat through.
I served on a bed of creamy mash with loads of garlic bulbs on the side. Squooshed with a fork the garlic was creamy and just so divine mixed in with the mash and a forkful of chicken. Sorry for the crap last photo - too much steam and I was too desperate to eat.
Undoubtedly the best chicken dish I've ever cooked.
Seriously.
With a lightly dressed green salad on the side it's the perfect summer meal. Green beans, a winter feast.
Make it this week.
