40 Garlic Chicken With An Asian Twist

40 GARLIC CHICKEN WITH AN ASIAN TWIST

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, or something a little fancier… It’s a famous French cuisine that involves adding a mind-boggling amount of garlic to one chicken dish––but it’s worth it in the long run. When I first tried it, I was taken aback by how mild the garlic flavor was. With the chicken, the garlic took on a mellow, sweet flavor that was completely different from the hot, pungent flavor you may expect from it when it is raw.

My goal was to Asianify a typical 40-garlic chicken, which may bring up visions of French country vistas, pottery milk jugs, and other rustic French provencal décor. To be honest, I didn’t have enough vermouth to make the genuine thing, so I decided to use Shaoxing wine as a substitute. Toss in some soy sauce while you’re at it, I thought to myself. As soon as I could, I did so. The dish was garnished with cilantro because I didn’t have parsley or thyme on hand. So it came to pass.

This is one you should give a go.

If you’re not looking forward to peeling 40 cloves of garlic, I can assure you that I have done it. I smashed and peeled all 40 cloves with my knife and my ever-increasingly garlicky fingertips. I’m not a fan of the number four. My Chinese grandparents, who raised me, established a strong distaste for it in me from an early age. Don’t bother asking.) However, after the fact, I came across this video that shows you how to peel it all in less than 10 seconds. Then I went crazy.

That said, I wasn’t about to lose my mind because I had a wonderful meal planned.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 4 lbs of chicken pieces
• 40 cloves of peeled garlic
• 3 slices of ginger
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of shaoxing wine
• 1/4 cup of dry vermouth
• 2/3 cup of chicken stock
• cilantro
• salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Oil should be heated in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven at a moderately high temperature.
2. After rinsing and drying the chicken, pat it dry and season with salt and pepper.
3. It’s time to get the chicken crispy on both sides! Set your oven temperature to 350° F.
4. Make a deep roasting or baking dish for the chicken and set it aside. Cook the garlic and ginger in the same pan as the chicken for 8 minutes or until caramelized.
5. Before adding the vermouth, add the soy sauce and Shaoxing wine to the pan and heat for 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and let alone for 5 minutes. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Add cilantro and roast for around 25-30 minutes.