40 Clove Garlic Chicken

Submitted by limecat

"This chicken dish has a wonderful aroma of garlic and lemon and is so very tender! The garlic is delightfully edible and a great treat with this marvellous dish. It can be served with the garlic cloves made into a creamy garlic sauce too! This is a pleasure to eat and many side dishes can be served with it... especially potato and vegetables."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 5 whole heads of garlic
• 2 1⁄4 kg whole chickens
• 1 lemon
• 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1⁄4 cup brandy
• 1 cup dry white wine
• salt & fresh ground pepper

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius.
2. Separate the garlic into cloves, but do not peel them.
3. Remove excess fat from chicken cavity and neck and discard.
4. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half. Rub the chicken all over with the lemon juice and place 1/2 the lemon into the cavity of the chicken.
5. Season the chicken inside and out and put a sprig of tarragon in the cavity.
6. Heat the butter and oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the chicken on all sides over a moderate heat.
7. Pour the brandy and ignite. When the flames die down, tuck the garlic cloves around and under the chicken and pour over the wine.
8. Cover the casserole and cook in the oven for about 80-90 minutes.
9. You can serve the chicken as is with the clear juices and garlic cloves, or make a wonderful creamy garlic sauce.
10. This is made by pushing the cooked garlic through a sieve over a bowl, get all the pulp from the garlic and mix in with the juice from the chicken -- discarding the garlic skins and lemon pieces.
11. This chicken is best served with potato and root vegetables with the creamy garlic sauce poured over the top.