Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

January 14, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

I’ve wanted to try this recipe for ages!

With the arrival of Ian and Diana’s new season garlic, I was keen to use up the last of my previous year’s frozen supplies…

Forty frozen cloves of garlic, looking most fine after a year in the deep freeze!

I followed Nigella Lawson’s recipe, substituting chicken drumsticks for the thigh pieces she’d stipulated, and our perennial leeks for the spring onions.

The chicken was browned in a little oil first, then laid over the chopped leeks, half of the unpeeled garlic cloves and a scattering of thyme leaves. The remaining cloves were scattered on top with a few sprigs of thyme, a couple of tablespoons of white wine and a light seasoning of salt and pepper. The pot was then covered with a tight fitting lid and baked in a 160C (with fan) oven for 1½ hours.

The finished dish was surprisingly mellow, yet still distinctly garlicky. The frozen garlic worked perfectly, although there were still quite a few cloves left in the pot at the end of the meal (Small Man made short work of most of the drumsticks)…

Loathe to waste the cooked garlic, and inspired by Joanna’s recent post, I squeezed the soft pulp out of the leftover cloves and mixed it into a batch of our sourdough ciabattas. The finished loaves were served with antipasto the following evening!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, Chicken with forty cloves of garlic, frozen garlic, Nigella Lawson | 60 Comments

60 Responses

on January 14, 2012 at 12:21 am Claire @ Claire K Creations

I can taste the garlic seeing those photos and I too have been eying off the recipe for a while. I might just have to order some garlic and make it!

The bread must have been heavenly.
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:41 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Claire, the bread really was divine. I saved one loaf to the freezer for future garlic bread, but the rest was wolfed at breakneck speed! :)
on January 14, 2012 at 12:34 am Misk Cooks

I’ve also eyed this recipe for a very long time but always hesitated. I think you’ve convinced me otherwise now. :)
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:42 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Misk, as I said it was surprisingly mellow, although we couldn’t have eaten all the cloves at dinner if we’d tried!
on January 14, 2012 at 1:06 am sallybr

Celia, I made this recipe many years ago – make it decades – I was married to my first husband!

Unfortunately, Phil cannot eat garlic, it upsets his stomach, so I will look at your photo and drool… ;-)

beautiful photos, and the bread… ah, the bread! Awesome use for the garlic!
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:46 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Sally! I’m sorry Phil can’t eat garlic!
on January 14, 2012 at 1:27 am Suelle

I eventually plucked up the courage to try a slightly tamer version of this a while back – I think I chickened out (!!) at 20 large cloves of garlic. But I was surprised at how mellow the garlic flavour was when cooked that way.
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:47 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Suelle, it’s one of those recipes that everyone talks about – it was nice to finally give it a go! :)
on January 14, 2012 at 1:36 am Patricia

Thanks for the reminder… and another view… of this wonderful dish.
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:48 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Glad you enjoyed it, Patricia! I think the original French version involves a whole lot more oil, actually.. :) I nearly tried this version…
  
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2003/oct/04/weekend.richardehrlich
on January 14, 2012 at 2:37 am Kavey

I love chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. Not tried Nigella’s recipe specifically but have made my own. Not for years though, may revisit ASAP!
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:49 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Kavey, I was surprised how simple it was to make!
on January 14, 2012 at 2:54 am Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide

What a beautiful dish!
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:50 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Greg! I love recipes that go into the oven and cook without my messing with them.. :)
on January 14, 2012 at 3:29 am gillthepainter

Never tried it, and I’ve never made it.
Unless the deliciously garlicky chicken I had at a local mama’s house in Malago in Spain was the 40 cloves affair.

I’ll have to imagine it was indeed,
and shall reminisce fondly as I look at your excellent cookery fottos, and slurp at them (in the best possible taste).
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:52 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Grilly! And next time we make it, I’ll imagine we’re eating it at a little diner in Malago, Spain.. :)
on January 14, 2012 at 3:52 am InTolerant Chef

No flu for you guys anytime soon! Fantastic recipe, and I bet that garlic bread was incredible too. Yumm!
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:53 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Becca, we all ate it, so no-one seemed to stink the following day! Hopefully it will ward away the lurgies! (And the vampires!). :)
on January 14, 2012 at 6:00 am Debra Kolkka

Too delicious for words!!!
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:53 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Deb! It was very yummy indeed!
on January 14, 2012 at 6:42 am Sophie33

I also love this Nigella’s recipe a lot! A great & tasty recipe!
MMMM,…! Yum & to make those garlic sourdough ciabatta’s,…waw!
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:53 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Good to know someone else makes it, Sophie! Thank you! :)
on January 14, 2012 at 8:13 am Rose

Goodness gracious me, I too have been wanting to try that recipe for yonks but have never been game. Thanks to you I have the resources … maybe I will.
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:54 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Ooh, loved the photo of all your new garlic, Rose! Hope you have fun with it all! http://greeningtherose.blogspot.com/2012/01/anarel-garlic.html
on January 14, 2012 at 8:17 am Lizzy (Good Things)

Similarly, I would like to try this recipe but have yet to do so. Thanks for the comprehensive instructions and your adaptation, which sounds divine! Might be one for the holidays, when we don’t have to go anywhere near our work colleagues!
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:55 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Lizzy, we didn’t seem to get too stinky the following day, although as I said, we didn’t actually eat most of the cloves at dinner. It was surprisingly easy to make and eat!
on January 14, 2012 at 9:47 am ceciliag

gorgeous celia and look at your ciabatta, i need to zoom over to joannas and check that out. AND thank you very much, i had no idea you could freeze garlic. Ours started to shoot in that warm early winter so we are hoping it still does something in the summer! Fingers crossed! c
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:56 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Celi, we always freeze the bulk of ours – Sydney is so humid and warm that it often shoots on us really quickly! I don’t think you can freeze it if you’re planning to grow it, though!
on January 14, 2012 at 1:45 pm maguro

My mom made that dish when we were little kid. We thought that was ridiculous but it actually tasted amazingly good! the sweet roasted garlic was really good with plain rice.
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:57 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks for stopping by, Maguro! We served our dish with rice as well…
on January 14, 2012 at 2:09 pm sonsothunder

I can’t watch Nigella…She’s too sexy for my shirt.
Bless You
paul
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:57 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Fair enough, Paul! She is very sultry indeed… ;-)
on January 14, 2012 at 3:34 pm J Cosmo Newbery

Life (for a dead chook) begins at 40, eh?

Went right off Nigella when she was a really unpleasant subject in one of Andrew Denton’s Enough Rope interviews. No smiles. Monosyllable answers. Gave nothing to Andrew or the viewer. Really really disappointing. She may be pretty but she is also ugly.
- on January 14, 2012 at 3:59 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Ahhh…so she was like Meg Ryan during her infamous Parkinson interview? :) I guess we have no idea what she’s really like…
on January 14, 2012 at 8:02 pm tania@mykitchenstories

This is a good dish isnt it? , and yours look too delicious!
- on January 15, 2012 at 6:12 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Tania! It was great, will definitely be making it again!
on January 14, 2012 at 8:24 pm cityhippyfarmgirl

A fine looking dish Celia, but I think it’s the ciabattas that appeal the most :-)
- on January 15, 2012 at 6:12 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Brydie, it was amazing how much the roasted garlic permeated the loaves – the dough had the most amazing aroma before baking!
on January 15, 2012 at 1:09 am heidi

What’s not to love here? Chicken, garlic, bread= total yum!
I’ve made this in the past- loved it- rest of family were very ho hum.
Frank wants red meat – my son enjoyed it- but not in raptures- I licked my fingers and moaned with pleasure and they thought I was very strange.
BUT- I decided to cut the garlic in half, make lots of rice and veggies with it and enjoy it more often without the fanfare that 40 cloves makes.
Truly- there is no accounting for individual taste.
The bread looks particularly fine.
Thanks for sharing, Celia. I always salivate when I come to your blog. :)
- on January 15, 2012 at 6:14 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Heidi, thank you! My boys didn’t eat all the garlic, but they loved how the chicken tasted. I’m sure it would be just as good with half as much garlic! I loved how easy it was to assemble…
on January 15, 2012 at 2:36 am Marilyn

Nigella always cracks me up. She talks about food like it’s naughty sex but she doesn’t care because that’s the kind of tart she’s into. And she eats asparagus like she’s licking Brad Pitt’s earlobe.

The garlic chicken looks darn tasty! I’ll have to try it.

Maz.
- on January 15, 2012 at 6:15 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  She IS very naughty, isn’t she? That’s her selling point! I don’t make a lot of her recipes, to be honest, but this one was very appealing!
on January 15, 2012 at 2:39 am Melanie

Sounds like a great way to use up bulk garlic!! I’ll bet the kitchen & house still have an aroma of garlic. I’ve shied away from recipes w/ so much garlic, in the past, but maybe I should give it a go. Can I have one of those ciabatta, pretty please?
- on January 15, 2012 at 6:16 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Melanie, not at all, the kitchen had a wonderful aroma as it was cooking, but nothing lingering. It really was surprising how gentle the garlic kick was!
on January 15, 2012 at 6:09 am Kay aka Babygirl

I’ve seen this recipe before but wasn’t sure if I should try it. But your chicken came out delicious looking.. so i think I will try it. And I love Nigella
- on January 15, 2012 at 6:16 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks for stopping by, Kay! Hope you enjoy the dish!
on January 15, 2012 at 6:34 am hotlyspiced

This looks amazing Celia. I am going to try this tonight. I hope I’m able to count out 40 cloves of garlic.
- on January 15, 2012 at 7:36 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Don’t laugh, Charlie, but I had to recount twice! ;-)
  - on January 15, 2012 at 8:03 am heidi
    
    LOL! I am laughing- because if you used 42 it would be too many?
    I would like to rename the recipe Chicken with handfuls of garlic! :)
    - on January 15, 2012 at 8:24 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
      
      Heidi, I couldn’t make chicken with 40 cloves of garlic if I didn’t have 40 cloves, right? If the number is in the name of the dish, then I’m counting..twice.. ;-)
on January 15, 2012 at 11:02 am Lee

That will explain the scarcity of vampire chickens, I guess.
- on January 15, 2012 at 11:42 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Funny that, if I actually want the chooks to eat garlic, I have to hide it in their food or drinking water. It’s quite good for them, but they’re not particularly keen. If only they knew how good they tasted with garlic.. ;-)
on January 15, 2012 at 1:31 pm Sally

This brings back so many memories of first learning how to cook. I bought a cookery book (which I still have) with this recipe in it. It was the time that chicken bricks were in fashion and I bought one. I hadn’t realised how heavy they were and my arms were aching so much by the time I got it home. The whole house was scented with garlic for days – not sure my parents thought the taste of the chicken was worth the agony…but I was very proud!
Love your comment about the chooks eating garlic!
- on January 15, 2012 at 1:49 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Oooh, was the chicken brick a clay cooker for the bird to go in? We use our Romertopf now, but wouldn’t it be lovely to have the money and space to indulge ourselves with dish specific cookware? :)
on January 16, 2012 at 11:12 am Imported Kiwi

40 cloves has to be a record! Amazing you actually counted! As a garlic lover I’ll have to try this, but I think I’ll use entire bulbs and a whole chicken and leave it overnight in my clay oven. Thanks for sharing :) I think you do a wonderful job with your blog, and it inspired me to finally start mine recently :)
- on January 16, 2012 at 4:20 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  That’s a lovely thing to hear, thank you! All the best with your new blog!
on January 17, 2012 at 12:42 pm Platanos, Mangoes and Me!

I think this is one of the best chicken dishes out there and you aced it accompanying it with that gorgeous bread….
- on February 1, 2012 at 7:21 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Norma! :)
on January 17, 2012 at 8:09 pm Fig Jam & Lime Cordial’s Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

[…] Here’s the link to the recipe and a video that shows Nigella in action with this recipe. […]
on January 27, 2012 at 8:59 pm Slow Roasted Chicken with Soy Sauce and Lemon Juice | Imported Kiwi

[…] A note on garlic: the most I’ve used was 4 bulbs, inspired by “Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic” from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. Highly […]