chicken with 33 cloves of garlic

since we love love love garlic around here, it's somewhat surprising it has taken me this long to make some version of julia child's classic chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. to be honest, as much as i love garlic, i couldn't quite get past the forty cloves. i know garlic mellows out a lot as it roasts, but how could forty cloves not be overwhelming?!

i should have made this years ago! this chicken is so unbelievably easy to make and since the sauce is blended until smooth, there's a great garlic flavor without biting into chunks of garlic. this one made our "make again asap" list.

chicken with 33 cloves of garlic
adapted from the svelte gourmet
1 hour, serves 4

it doesn't matter how many garlic cloves you have - just use two good size heads of garlic.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon butter
2 bulbs of garlic, cloves separated and peeled and the stems cut off
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves

1. preheat your oven to 375F.
2. heat a large, oven proof skillet on medium high heat on the stove. coat the bottom with olive oil.
3. season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the skillet about two minutes per side, or until brown. remove from the pan and set aside.
4. add the butter to the pan. once melted, add the garlic cloves. saute just until it begins to brown and becomes very fragrant.
5. add the chicken broth, sherry, thyme, and bay leaves to the pan and bring to a boil. add the chicken back into the pan. cover and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
6. remove the chicken from the pan, take out the bay leaves, and blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth. 
7. return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. serve hot.

2012.07.09 this is Recipe Taster's pick for the secret recipe club!