CHICKEN WITH CHAMPAGNE AND 40 CLOVES OF GARLIC

Chicken with Champagne and 40 Cloves of Garlic image

Number Of Ingredients 8

2 tablespoons Olive oil
12 Large bone in chicken thighs
40 cloves Garlic, peeled
1/4 cup Fresh lemon juice
1 cup Champagne or dry white wine
2 cups Chicken stock
6 sprigs Fresh thyme
2 tablespoons Unsalted butter

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325. Heat a large, heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium high heat.
Season chicken on both sides with salt and fresh ground pepper. Working in batches so as to not crowd the pot, sear the chicken, skin side down, until golden brown, about 6 minutesper batch. Brown briefly on the second side, then transfer chicken to a plate.
Add garlic to pot and cook, stirring, until lightly golden, 1-2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, wine, chicken stock and thyme, and return the chicken to the pot, nestling the pieces down into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pot and place in oven. Cook, stirring once midway to ensure even cooking, until the chicken is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Transfer the chicken and some of the garlic to a platter, cover to keep warm. Remove and discard thyme sprigs.
In a medium bowl, mash the flour and butter together to a smooth paste. Slowly whisk 1/2 c. of the hot juices from the pot into the paste until smooth, then add this mixture to the pot and whisk to combine. Cover and cook over medium heat until the gravy has thickened, about 15-20 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with sauce spooned on top.