40 Cloves Chicken

It's a cloudy day here in Portland. This is the perfect recipe for a day like today. It is amazingly easy and even more delicious. It's a fantastic one to share. Make sure you have a loaf of crusty bread with this. You'll need it for dunking in the oil.

40 Cloves Chicken via Good Eats:

Serves 6

1 3-to-4 lb. broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

2 Tb. plus ½ c. olive oil (not extra-virgin)

5 sprigs fresh thyme

40 cloves garlic, peeled.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken pieces on all sides with 2 tablespoons of oil.

In a 12-inch straight-sided oven-safe saute pan over high heat, cook the chicken for 5 to 7 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Remove the pan from the heat; add the remaining ½ cup of oil, the thyme, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1½ hours.

Remove the pan from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes with the lid on. Serve family style.

We've done this one several times. It's nice picking up a already cut up chicken, tossing it in the freezer, and then defrosting it just for a day like today. Perfect Sunday supper. Or midweek. Peeling all that garlic can be a pain, but it is so worth it. The garlic becomes so soft and spreadable, you'll have extra from sandwiches and bread for a couple of days. Just give it a shot. You'll love it.