The beloved Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic {Recipe}

I was making one of my all-time favorite dishes, Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. Though I’ve made it a hundred times before, this time I was actually making it to see how it would pair with some of the wines we’re sending to our Wine Club next month. As I was thinking about that and busily cooking it occurred to me that this would also be a great suggestion for Valentine’s Day dinner, I should share the recipe with all of you.

And then it happened, as I stood at the stove and pulled the thyme leaves off their stems and dropped them into  the already aromatic garlic and wine in the pan, the fragrance came over me and all of a sudden I was transported back to Jean Claude, the classic French bistro in Chicago where I worked post-college and where I first tasted Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. It was a specialty of the house (along with Duck á l’Orange carved tableside – ooh la la!) and ordered frequently, so that aroma often filled the dining room. That restaurant was significant to me in other ways too. I know now that it was there that my great passion for food, wine and gathering people around the table to share both, was born. Some thirty years later, it all comes rushing back to me when that particular smell of deliciousness fills my kitchen. I’m always amazed by that phenomenon.

But wait. We were going to talk about Valentine’s Day!

I’m not really inclined toward Hallmark cards – cooking delicious food for my family is always my favorite way to demonstrate my love. No surprise there, I guess.

If you’re looking for something kind of special, but not too time consuming, for a weeknight fete, this just might be your dish. You can stop at the market on your way home from work to pick up what you need and once you get going it takes just about an hour, start to finish. There’s even a hands-off period of 30 minutes that is the perfect time to set the table and whip up some pasta and a vegetable to go alongside. I like it with a wide noodle pasta like Pappardelle and some sauteed spinach (more garlic!)

The real time saver here though is buying ready peeled whole cloves of garlic. Since you need 40 cloves, preferably intact, you don’t really want to go through the tedious step of hand peeling each of them. Most grocery stores now carry bags of these in the produce section. I used to think they were probably inferior and was kind of ashamed of the rare occasion when I would break down and use them. But then I read in the cookbook of a famous chef that she uses them in any application where the garlic is cooked! Vindication! I don’t use them all the time, but here they’re a game changer.

Beyond Valentine’s Day, this is also a lovely fall or winter dinner party dish. It can be made a day ahead and gently reheated. I suggest serving this with a lovely bottle of Pinot noir and some very mellow jazz.