Bi-Monthly Dinner Party for 10

Yes, I do this twice a month. No, no death wish. My husband plays a game called Exalted (power nerd) and we hold the game at our house. This time I made chicken with forty cloves of garlic. Now I know some of you are thinking this is a ridiculous amount of garlic, but let me assure you, the garlic mellows out a lot because of the long(er) cooking time. I made this dish specifically this time because it is a favorite of mine, it can feed a lot of people, and it can be prepared the night before. The recipe calls for wine, but please note all of the alcohol will cook out--not to worry. But the flavor the wine leaves behind is remarkable. This recipe is loosely based on one by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). I really hope you can enjoy this recipe as much as I have.

Chicken with Forty Cloves

Ingredients:

3 heads of garlic, seperated and cloves peeled

6 chicken breasts (approx. 6 pounds), bone in and skin on (it prevents it from drying out)

Fresh Ground Black Pepper-(I promise this post is coming)

Sea Salt-(seriously it is coming)

2 Tbs unsalted butter (always control the quantity and quality of the salt in your dish)

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 bottle dry white wine

2 Tbs fresh Thyme or rosemary, minced (I prefer thyme)

3 Tbs Flour

1/4 whipping cream or half and half if you prefer

Salt and pepper the chicken. Melt your butter and oil in a large pot (or my favorite, a Le Creuset *psss, find an outlet near you, the savings are staggering!) over a med-high heat. and saute the chicken in batches. Just brown them on either side until they get some good color. 10 ish minutes. Remove the chicken (I like putting mine in a big bowls-easy). Lower then heat. Add you cloves of garlic and brown them on all sides for about 7 minutes. Raise the heat back up again and add the wine. Bring it to a boil and srape up all those brown bits on the bottom, they add a lot of flavor!

Add your herb of choice and then add the chicken back to the pot. Cover it and set it to simmer for about 30 minutes, however this may take longer. Then remove the chicken again and cover whilst you combine 1 cup of the cooking liquid to the flour and whisk it until smooth. Add this paste back to the pot and whisk to combine. Also add you cream here and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Season it well with salt and pepper, it will be bland otherwise. Plate the chicken and pour the sauce over it. I serve it with rice and green beans, but asparagus and couscous would be lovely also. Enjoy!

image via Food Network