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One-Pot Wonders

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

by:
March 31, 2014
4.5
2 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Adapted from James Beard —Merrill Stubbs

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Ingredients
  • 6 whole chicken legs
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 40 cloves garlic (you'll need about 3 bulbs), peeled
  • 4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly ground nutmeg
  • 4 sprigs Italian parsley
  • 1/4 cup dry vermouth
  • 1/3 cup (homemade or low sodium) chicken stock
  • Crusty bread or toast for serving
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 375ºF. Season the chicken legs all over with the salt. Arrange them, skin side up, in a single layer in an ovenproof baking dish with a tight-fitting lid.
  2. Scatter the garlic and celery into the gaps between the chicken pieces, and then drizzle everything with the olive oil. Grind some black pepper and a bit of nutmeg over the chicken and vegetables and arrange the parsley on top.
  3. Pour in the vermouth and the chicken stock. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and put on the lid. Bake the chicken for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, without removing the lid until the hour mark. When the chicken is really tender, and the garlic is soft enough to spread, remove the dish from the oven.
  4. Serve the chicken in shallow bowls with plenty of the fragrant sauce; spread the softened garlic on the bread and then dunk it into the sauce as you eat your chicken.
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46 Reviews

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Carla L. September 19, 2020
This is such a great dish! I have made it several times,always with a whole chicken,stuffed a lemon ,cut in halves inside the bird. The garlic cloves only need their paperyskins removed,don't peel them. They soften up beautifully in their skins and the softbuttery garlic just squeezes out! I used only stock and celery chopped and some dried herbs,like parsley, rosemary or oregano. I also added carrots as it made such an easy meal that way. Served with a green vegetable or salad and some boiled potatoes, it is just a classic chicken dish!
Carla L. September 19, 2020
This is such a great dish! I have made it several times,always with a whole chicken,stuffed a lemon ,cut in halves inside the bird. The garlic cloves only need their paperyskins removed,don't peel them. They soften up beautifully in their skins and the softbuttery garlic just squeezes out! I used only stock and celery chopped and some dried herbs,like parsley, rosemary or oregano. I also added carrots as it made such an easy meal that way. Served with a green vegetable or salad and some boiled potatoes, it is just a classic chicken dish!
Tom S. January 19, 2019
I use the Pampered Chef garlic peeler!! A rubbery, flexible tube to roll a clove in on a hard counter top. The papery skin comes right off - perfectly - dump the garlic out of the tube. Use it almost daily!! My 50 cloves of garlic chicken is similar. I use a whole chicken, but I mix a bit of flour and water into a paste and use it to form a hermetic seal between the bottom and the glass lid on the Pyrex baking dish. Garlic comes out soft and buttery; chicken's good too. No need for Vermouth - just EVOO and seasonings.
Liz C. September 25, 2016
My husband, the King of the Backhanded Complimented mentioned in my earlier comment, made this by himself last week. It was actually good.
Bev S. September 25, 2016
An easy way to peel this amount of garlic is to parboil them--30 seconds or less in boiling water and they just slide out of their skins!
Lisa N. December 20, 2016
Thank You! I have been using already peeled garlic because the first time I made this it took forever to get the garlic out of their skins but this is awesome.
Karin B. August 9, 2016
I have been making this since the 70s, before big box store peeled garlic. Fresh garlic is better but by the time I get through peeling it it is no longer fresh and in the finished dish it all tastes like fragrant butter anyway. I serve this to my geezer boyfriends, it makes them reluctant to get amorous which is a good thing.
Daniel A. June 4, 2016
We switched to buying pre-pealed garlic in the little plastic tubs recently because we simply use too much of it. Of course after a few weeks the garlic does tend to lose freshness so to avoid losing product I use this recipe. Love it!
Liz C. May 9, 2016
My husband, King of the Backhanded Compliment, said: "This is actually good." It was fantastic.
Tanios K. April 24, 2015
Don't peel the garlic. When it's soft, you can press them out of the cloves :-)
walkie74 March 11, 2015
This was surprisingly good. I had to make a bunch of substitutions--two heads of garlic instead of three, dried parsley instead of fresh, and lemongrass-ginger broth instead of chicken broth-- but it was still delicious. A few telera rolls made up my crusty bread. Hubby took leftovers for lunch!
Tina M. March 11, 2015
I'm back to report that parsnips and carrots were a great addition - what an easy, delicious meal! I peeled the garlic by putting all the cloves in a glass prep bowl, topping with another bowl and shaking - the peels fall away very quickly. Thanks Merrill!
Tina M. March 8, 2015
Would it be wrong to throw in a couple of chopped carrots and parsnips that I need to make use of, or will they be total mush after the cooking time?
Merrill S. March 8, 2015
Not at all! I'd cut them into bite-sized chunks (1-2 inches).
kellyg January 13, 2015
My Husband had bought a bag of already peeled garlic cloves from a big box store, why he did I have no idea, and I found this recipe while trying to find a way to use them all! It worked perfectly, was absolutely delicious and was super easy because of the big box garlic! It has been added to my recipe file.
Erin C. October 30, 2014
Made this for a 2nd time this evening - chicken comes out well, but I always end up with tons of liquid (probably about 2C) even though I've added less than the recommended amount. Both times I've just added in some quinoa and cooked it down which tastes wonderful, but wondering if anyone else ending up with this much residual liquid as well?
Merrill S. October 30, 2014
Yes, this is all yummy sauce and one of the best parts of the recipe, in my opinion! Great for soaking up with crusty bread.
Mercuria July 14, 2014
Wow, I made this like 30 years ago. It's versatile - you can leave out the vermouth, you can sub white wine, you can add rosemary or fennel bulb, definitely an awesome use of garlic.

However, the image shown with the article is of leg quarters, not legs. Pet peeve - take a picture of the actual recipe!
Merrill S. July 14, 2014
This is the actual recipe -- leg quarters and whole legs are the same thing, aren't they? Are you maybe thinking of drumsticks?
Brian June 9, 2014
This looks like it would be great with some fennel in there as well. Great recipe - it makes me want to go roast something!
savvynewyorker April 20, 2014
To address the concerns of those who worry about a young child ingesting the vermouth, the alcohol will cook out during the hour and fifteen minutes in the oven, even if covered with the aluminum foil. I understand that adults with alcohol issues may want to explore the alternatives to vermouth that are discussed below.
Andrea Y. April 18, 2014
I am cooking at someone else's house, which may explain my predicament, but at 1 hour at 375, my chicken is pink, the skin is still dimpled, and the garlic is like raw knobs. It's 8:15 p.m. so I cranked up the temp to 425, but we may be ordering pizza at this point! Anyone have any ideas why this might be happening?
Merrill S. April 18, 2014
It sounds like your oven isn't working properly! Do you have any way of measuring the temperature? You can continue cooking on top of the stove if you have to -- just keep it at a low simmer.
marymary April 16, 2014
I don't have Tarragon, but I have plenty of Vermouth and everything else! This is definitely on my menu for next week.

TIP: I haven't tried this magical garlic-peeling technique yet, but apparently peels garlic in a snap... http://www.marthastewart.com/932081/how-peel-garlic-easily#921353. When in doubt, always ask Food52 and Martha. :-)
cookinalong April 13, 2014
Tarragon sounds perfect! I love rosemary, but tarragon is one of those herbs so often forgotten, but so distinctive. Thanks for the reminder