Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic in a clay pot

I found this recipe in Consumer Guide to Clay Cookery. Though it sounds like a lot of garlic - the peeled cloves cook into sweet, mellow nuggets of flavor - great to spread on crusty french bread. The chicken cooks up moist and tender. This recipe is cooked in a clay pot that must be soaked in cold water for 15 minutes and is placed in a cold oven to start.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 40  cloves garlic, whole,peeled
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1⁄8 teaspoon  crumbled sage leaf
• 4 -4 1⁄2 lbs  whole frying chickens
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
•  salt
•  pepper
•  sliced  French bread

Directions

1. Soak top and bottom of 3 1/4 quart clay cooker in water about 15 minutes; drain.
2. Line bottom and sides of cooker with parchment paper.
3. Combine olive oil, garlic and herbs in cooker.
4. Rinse and pat dry chicken reserving neck and giblets for other use.
5. Place chicken over garlic mixture.
6. Drizzle with lemon juice.
7. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
8. Place covered cooker in COLD oven.
9. Set oven at 475 degrees F.
10. Bake until chicken is tender and juices run clear when thigh is pierced, about 1 1/4 hours.
11. Remove cover; bake until chicken is crisp and brown.
12. 5 to 10 minutes.
13. Carve chicken and spoon cooking liquid over chicken.
14. Serve with garlic and french bread.