Two things before we get into the recipe.
1. I despise recipe posts that don’t get right into the recipe. They are the bane of the food-internet after from those people who modify a recipe and then review it poorly. So apart from these two points let’s get right into it. Story about the recipe follows the ACTUAL RECIPE.
2. I know in a previous blog post that my first recipe post might be tomato soup. This is clearly not the case. Sorry. It’ll be second- I promise.
Ingredients:
· 6-8 Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs
· Kosher Salt and Fresh Black Pepper
· Vegetable Oil
· ¼ Cup Cognac (Brandy is fine, but like cooking with wine, use something you’d drink.)
· 2 Heads of Garlic, Broken Down into Individual Cloves with their skins on.
· ¾ Cup Dry White Wine (USE. SOMETHING. YOU’D. DRINK.)
· ½ Cup Heavy Cream (Optional)
· Crusty Bread (Not part of the actual recipe, but you will want some. Trust me.)
Special Equipment:
· Dutch Oven
· Tongs
· Whisk
Recipe:
1. Preheat Dutch Oven over Medium Heat.
2. Season Chicken Thighs thoroughly with Salt and Pepper.
3. Add enough Vegetable Oil to form a thin, even layer on the bottom of the Dutch Oven.
4. Add Chicken Thighs in a single layer, making sure every piece is making contact with the bottom of the pan. This is important for searing.
5. Cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add Cloves of Garlic.
7. Turn Chicken Thighs over, making sure to nestle the cloves in between them so they cook properly.
8. Add Cognac. Flambé if you must. The flambé is not particularly necessary, but it looks cool.
9. Cook another 15 minutes.
10. Remove Chicken Thighs and Garlic from the Dutch Oven.
11. Add in the White Wine, and use the Whisk to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch Oven.
12. Return Garlic to pan first. Layer Chicken Thighs on top of the Cloves.
13. Cook until the Chicken is done, around 15-20 minutes. You can cut a piece open to check, or use a meat thermometer inserted into the biggest piece. Temperature should read 165°F.
14. Remove Chicken and Garlic from Dutch Oven
15. FROM HERE IT’S A CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE RECIPE:
15A. Either you can simmer on low heat and reduce the drippings, wine, and cognac in the pan to make a delicious pan sauce of your desired thickness. For the love of GOD taste it for seasoning before you serve it.
OR
15B. You can slowly whisk in the heavy cream, and then reduce the cream, drippings, wine, and cognac in the pan over low heat to make a delicious and creamy pan sauce. TASTE. FOR. SEASONING.
16. Serve.
You can serve this alongside buttered egg noodles, with rice, greens, or on its own. I serve mine on top of a spring-mix salad because the bitter edge from the greens marries well with the rest of it and because I need some way to increase my vegetable intake. Be sure to have the bread for mopping up either wonderful sauce.
So, for those of you more culinarily inclined, this is obviously a variation on 30/40 Clove Chicken. I got tired of actually trying to count out cloves so two heads of garlic it is. I just call it Garlic Chicken these days. No one, after tasting it, has minded my laziness in this regard.
This recipe entered my weekly cooking lineup for three major reasons. The first is that it makes a lot of leftovers, which I consume for a while afterwards and have yet to be unhappy at. The second is that, apart from the cognac and wine (two things which, let’s face it, you were already sure I have on hand at home), it’s not very expensive. The third is that it doesn’t actually involve too much active cooking, and more a lot of waiting and stirring. It’s good for when I don’t have that much energy to make something more intensive but still want something delicious.
Oh, I guess number four. It’s delicious. It’s just damn delicious. The chicken stays moist and absorbs all kinds of glorious flavor. The garlic cloves soften and sweeten to the point they can be eaten on their own (highly recommend). The sauce (either one) is just the perfect menagerie of flavors blended together into something that can only be described as true comfort food.
Make it at the end of a hard workweek. Make it during a ferocious winter blizzard. Make it because you just need something to comfort your soul once in a while and damn anyone who says you can’t treat yourself.
Treat yourself!
For the white wine, a simple Chardonnay will do fine. Last time I made it was with one of my favorite budget bottles, 2016 Chateau St. Michelle which cost around $12. (somm’s gotta pay rent, too.) It paired well; an easy-drinking white that doesn’t break the bank and plays well with comfort food like this.
This was actually my first time writing a recipe so if there’s anything unclear please let me know.
Stay tuned for more!