40-Clove Garlic Chicken

April 19: National Garlic Day

Vampires, beware! April 19 is National Garlic Day. While we aren’t so much fans of vampire pop culture, we are fans of the “stinking rose.” We have a ceramic garlic keeper, silicone garlic peeler, metal garlic press and a garlic cookbook, “The Great Garlic Book: A Guide with Recipes” by Chester Aaron, from which our blog recipe post is adapted.  The cookbook features “40-Clove Garlic Chicken with Cabernet Sauce” from the appropriately named restaurant, The Stinking Rose (they also have another version of this recipe on their site). Perhaps by eating this aromatic and flavorful dish, we can scare away vampires with our breath.

Recipe

(Adapted from The Great Garlic Book by Chester Aaron)

Ingredients

• Chicken (we used 6 chicken drumsticks; the original recipe calls for 1 frying chicken, about 4 or 5 pounds, cut into pieces)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste (we used sea salt)
• 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
• 40 cloves of garlic

Directions

In a large bowl, toss the chicken in olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and 40 cloves of garlic. Cover and marinate the chicken for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the chicken in a baking dish surrounded by the garlic cloves. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes to cook the garlic. Remove the foil and bake for 20 more minutes or until the chicken and garlic turn golden brown.

Notes

• Peel the garlic cloves with a silicone garlic peeler. Or purchase peeled garlic cloves from the fresh produce section of the grocery store.
• The pungency and bitterness of the garlic is cooked out of this dish, leaving the cloves soft and slightly sweet.
• To get rid of garlic breath naturally, chew on rosemary or parsley. Also freshen your breath with cardamom, fennel, a lemon wedge or mint.