Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

This is one of those recipes that almost everyone has heard of but surprisingly few people have made.  I think the thought of peeling 40 cloves of garlic intimidates a lot of people, or perhaps the thought of eating 40 cloves of garlic intimidates them.  If it's the prior, the recipe has a quick tip for how to peel it much more easily (or you can do what I did and buy a big bag of peeled garlic at Costco), and if it's the latter, I can assure you that somehow the garlic flavor is not overpowering in this recipe.  I've seen many different versions of the recipe (some blend the sauce, some don't), so I went with this version from Ina Garten and made very very minor changes.  I'll be making this again for sure, although I'll probably just use one type of chicken piece to ensure more even cooking in step 5.  Overall, I'm glad I finally made this!

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients:

• 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
• 1 whole chicken (5-6 pounds), cut into pieces
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
• 1½ cups dry vermouth
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

1. Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.
2. Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches.
4. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned.
5. Add the vermouth and 2 tablespoons of the Cognac, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.
6. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot.
8. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes.
9. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Notes:
The original recipe called for dry white wine, but vermouth gave a great result.  I also used brandy instead of cognac, mainly because it's just 3 tablespoons and I didn't feel like buying an expensive bottle of cognac for that small of an amount.