Chicken with 40 Cloves...my way

My house is about to be empty for a week with my husband at a conference and the Monster and I at my parent's home in Mississippi. So, I took the night off from cooking. Actually, that's not completely accurate. I stuffed leftovers in the oven from last night for Ishtiaq (DH), fed Liam a Gerber Toddler Meal, and then made myself a frozen Tostino's pizza with anchovies added. I just adore anchovies! Sigh.

Since I made the Garlic Chicken Legs the other night I thought I should post the recipe that inspired the legs. It's called Chicken with 40 Cloves and, oddly it is one of my toddler's favorites. The finished product is very garlicky, rich and hugely satisfying. The garlic turns sweet with a little bite after all that baking and is useful for the whole week in other dishes. Or, if you have poor will-power like me, you can spread a clove or two on a piece of toast and devour it standing at the stove.

Chicken with 40 Cloves (Collected from Cook's Illustrated)

1 whole chicken (I prefer skin on)
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 cups water, boiling

Brine the Bird: Dissolve kosher salt in boiling water. Take chicken and put it in a stockpot that has a lid. Add enough water to cover the chicken and let sit in refrigerator for 4-8 hours. The salt will not make the chicken salty, I promise! Instead, it will tenderize and deepen the flavor of the bird. Try not to exceed 8 hours. Doing so will make the cooked chicken mushy.

3/4 cup Vermouth
3/4 cup chicken broth
About 3 heads of garlic, skinned with the cloves left intact (meaning don't pound them with your knife to make the cloves pop out)
A brined chicken
salt (yes salt - remember the brining doesn't make the bird salty)
pepper
olive oil

Put your chicken in a roasting pan. Stuff it full of the garlic and don't forget to tuck some in the wings and legs. Pour your vermouth, chicken broth and olive oil over the stuffed chicken. Cover with salt and pepper to taste. Bake on 350 for 1 hour or until done. Sometimes my chicken takes up to an hour and a half. I just bake it until the juices run clear when pierced.

I usually serve this with Hunza rice and green beans. Green beans are just about the only vegetable I can consistently talk my son into eating. The beans are great if you bake them along with the chicken. Just open a can or two, drain them and dump them into the pan. No need to use fresh unless you're just an over-achiever.

Leftovers taste fabulous in a "stir-fry" the next day.

Put the chicken, garlic and rice in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and when it all gets nice and hot add a little chicken broth to keep the rice from drying out. When everything looks heated, make a well in the center of your pan and add a beaten egg. Stir it around slowly to incorporate the egg.

Enjoy! Next time I cook this I will post a picture.

My toddler has decided that I have been on the computer long enough so I cannot spell and grammar check right now. :)